


Down the Rabbit Hole

by schmetterlingstee



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Killua living in the environment he deserves, Multi, everyone is happy - at least for now, family cuteness, sibling boding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-18
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-05 00:56:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4159518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmetterlingstee/pseuds/schmetterlingstee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last thing Killua remembers, is being knocked out by an attack that came out of nowhere. When he wakes up, he finds himself in an altered universe. In a world without Nen, with a loving family and a carefree life - things couldn't be better. But is everything really as flawless as it seems?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. dream or reality?

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how i came up with this, I really don't.  
> But this is my first contribution to the hxh fandom and i hope you guys like it.
> 
> English is not my first language and if you spot any spelling mistakes or anything, please let me know!
> 
> okay that's it.
> 
> (i'll probably have to edit the tags and maybe some warnings in the course of the story)

The last thing Killua remembered was the weird light he had been struck by. Alluka had been screaming his name and had tried to reach for his hand. Then everything had disappeared in front of his eyes and fallen into complete darkness.

 

His head still hurt a little and he was too tired to open his eyes. But he was gaining back consciousness.  He tried to move and judging by the rustles of fabrics underneath his head, he was tucked in a bed. Maybe Alluka had brought him somewhere safe after what had happened. Wherever he was, he betted that his sister had brought him here and was waiting for him to wake up already.

 

He and Alluka had been travelling around for a while now. But the memories were too foggy and his headache struck him again. He pulled the blanket over his head and groaned. Broken bones were no big deal. He had always considered head injuries to be the most painful ones.

 

Killua tried to relax to ease the pain. It took him a while, but soon he was able to rest easy again. He tried to pay attention to the sounds of his surroundings. He hoped to hear his sister’s voice somewhere from another room.

 

But there was nothing. He heard the ticking of an alarm clock somewhere next to him. Birds singing outside and traffic in the distance, which was odd already. They had been in the wilds, in the middle of nowhere. But then again he had no idea how much time had passed since the incident.

 

Killua tried to remember what exactly had happened. But as soon as he tried to remember, the pain struck him again and he decided to leave it for now. The memories would come back at some point. At the latest when Alluka would tell him about it. She would probably come to check on him sooner or later.

 

The clock kept ticking, the time passed and Killua eventually drifted back into sleep.

 

\------------

 

He had been dead asleep, when he was woken up by an all too well-known, shrieking voice that echoed through the hall outside his room. Shivers ran down Killua’s spine.

 

He now opened his eyes, staring at the yellow painted wall of the room.

 

“There’s no way…”

 

It was completely impossible. He had left home long, to leave the horrible family of his behind.  But he heard his mother yelling again. He wasn't able to make out what she wanted. But it sounded like she was calling for him – and she was getting impatient.

 

Killua slowly sat up in his bed, looking around. This had to be a nightmare, he was almost sure of it.

 

The room he was in looked nothing like his back home – it looked way too… normal.

 

“I must have suffered a heavy concussion, this can’t be real.” He rubbed his neck, examining the room closely. Magazines on the floor, posters on the wall, a desk covered with stuff. And colourful cartoony cover sheets? But what caught his attention was the huge window which filled the room with light. A look outside would tell him where he was and whether this was a dream or not. If there was an army of talking Chocobots outside, he could be sure this was just a weird dream.

 

Reality was surprising. What Killua saw, was a street what he would consider a normal neighbourhood. One of those from the movies where normal people lived with their happy family.  Where people raised their kids and grew old with their partner. Nothing like a mountain estate of professional killers.

 

There was a group of kids about his age walking by and an old lady with a wheeler walker taking out her dog. She looked up and waved at him with a smile when their eyes met. Killua just awkwardly waved back. This was slowly becoming really bizarre.

 

Suddenly the door was thrown open. Someone barged into the room with such a speed, Killua couldn’t identify who it was. He was hugged tightly, almost squeezed, and a cheery voice chirped “Good morning, big bro!”

 

Killua stared at the figure in front of him. “Alluka?”

 

It was clearly his sister in front of him, who had appeared out of nowhere. She smiled at him brightly.

 

 “Mother called for you three times already. You have to hurry if you want to get some food or Milluki will eat everything.”

 

Killua had no idea what was going on, but began to feel as if this was no dream at all.

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t you want to breakfast before school?” Alluka asked, giving him a questioning look.

 

“Hold on a second, what do you mean with school?” Killua was getting confused.

 

“You’re being silly again, big bro. Come on or you’ll be late. Mother is already stressed out; we don’t want her to snap.” Alluka grabbed his wrists and pulled a confused Killua out of his bed.

 

As they walked down the stairs he still felt as if none of this was actually happening. The house he apparently lived in was a lot smaller than the Zoldyck estate he knew. That was still overstated, but it was nice. It almost felt like home - a real home, although Killua still wasn’t sure what to think of it.

 

He took a look at the large mirror on the wall. Why someone had decided that the wall next to the stairs was the perfect place for a mirror, was a mystery for him too. But what he found more surprising was the fact, that he looked a lot younger.

 

Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

 

Alluka led him to a kitchen where his entire family way already assembled.

 

Milluki was busy eating. Although Killua was sure that eating was still a too healthy sounding description. Meanwhile Kikyo was scolding him for eating too much and that being the reason of his overweight. That didn’t keep his brother from eating, though Killua could tell he was annoyed.

 

Illumi was scrolling around on his phone. Kalluto was picking at his food, staring at the wall with an absent-minded look.

 

When Killua entered, he was ignored completely, since Kikyo still wasn’t done with Milluki.

 

Illumi looked up from his phone, as Killua sat down next to him. “Morning. Exited already?” he asked and Killua almost jumped off his chair when his brother turned to him.

 

He raised an eyebrow and gave Killua a suspicious look. “Are you okay?” he asked, mild concern in his voice.

 

Killua rubbed his neck and nodded. He still was not sure what his oldest brother was talking about. “Uhm… what should I be excited about?”

 

Illumi just shook his head, as if he had just said something utterly stupid.  “It’s the only thing you have been talking about for weeks, don’t tell me you forgot.”

 

Apparently something big was happening soon and Killua had no idea what it was. Maybe someone’s birthday was coming up; he had no idea what day it was after all.

 

Alluka grinned at him and jumped up from her chair. “It’s the last day of school before the summer holidays! How could you forget about that, big bro?”

 

Killua quietly took a sip from his cup of tea and shrugged. He honestly had no idea how else he was supposed to play it off. He was still too confused, yet fascinated by what his imagination was capable off.

 

But he decided to play along from now on. This family seemed a lot more acceptable than his real one. Joining the game wouldn’t hurt. Besides, this looked like it could be fun.

 

“I thought it was one more day to go.” He replied trying to keep his cool, whereat Alluka just giggled.

 

“You’re being silly again.”

 

Kikyo was finally done with her lecture and let out a deep dramatic sigh. She leaned back at the kitchen counter to take a sip from her tea.  She wasn’t wearing her visor. And for the first time in forever Killua saw his mother’s eyes.  They were huge and black like ink, just like Illumi’s. She was wearing a flared skirt with a simple blouse. Something Killua would describe as a typical mom-look. Although he had to admit it looked a bit odd on his mother.

 

When she noticed Killua looking at her, she smiled at him. But she quickly turned to Illumi who was texting again.

 

“Is Father taking Mike for a walk?”

 

His brother just nodded.

 

Kikyo let her hand run through her hair, trying to put it back into place and took another sip from her cup. She continued “So how long will it take, until you can move back to your apartment?”

 

Illumi didn’t look up from the screen. “Are you trying to throw me out?”

 

Kikyo gave a ringing laugh. “Not at all. I’m happy my little boy is home for a while. It was merely a question.”

 

Killua saw how his brother rolled his eyes at the words ‘little boy’. That was somewhat understandable.

 

He finally put his phone down and replied “See, we’ll have to pay the repair costs first. Then it will probably take two months, one if we’re lucky.”

 

Kikyo sighed and shook her head. “How come you let your silly friend fix the heating boiler by himself? He probably can’t even fold his own underwear.”

 

“He is not silly, and he is very capable of folding his underwear, believe me.  But he was sure that it would be less expensive to do it himself than hiring a plumber. “Illumi sighed, subtle but loud enough for Killua to hear it. He still had no idea who or what his brother was talking about.

 

Their mother laughed again, handing Kalluto who was about to leave his breakfast.  “Well, the next time you should let a professional do it. By the way, where is that Haruka now?”

 

“His name is Hisoka, mother.”

 

Killua almost choked on his drink when he heard that name. It seemed like he wasn’t even save from that pervert in his dreams.

 

After giving Killua a concerned glance, Kikyo turned back to her oldest son. “Fine, whatever his name is, where is he? You know I don’t like it when guests lurk around my house by themselves.”

 

The thought of Hisoka creeping around in here somewhere was too much to bear for Killua right now and he quickly shook it off.

 

“He wasn’t in my room this morning, maybe he’s in the garage or the van. He certainly is not in here, after how welcoming you were to him just yesterday.”

 

Kikyo shrugged slightly and ignored the last comment, which seemed to annoy his brother.

 

He sighed. “I don’t know where he is, it’s not like I’m his babysitter.” And with that he got up to clear the table.

 

Killua quietly watched the scene, while Alluka was busy eating her waffles. A caring mother who didn’t wear fancy dresses. Illumi who actually showed some emotion. And his family accepting his sister for who she was.  He would gladly trade his real family for this one.

 

After Illumi was done, he turned around to Killua and Alluka. “Want me to drop you off at school?”

 

Alluka smiled “Yes, gladly!” while Killua just nodded. It wasn’t like he had any idea how else he would get there. Alluka probably knew the way, but this was the more comfortable option.

 

His mother gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Before you leave, you might consider getting dressed first, Killua.”

 

Killua looked down and realized he was still wearing pyjamas. He got up quickly to get dressed. On his way up the stairs he thought about how this dream was becoming suspiciously realistic.

 

\----

 

15 minutes later Killua found himself sitting in the backseat of a van with Alluka next to him, while Illumi started the car.

 

Killua gazed out of the window. He wondered when he would wake up and leave this almost too perfect world.

 

His headache was already much better, but still, he couldn’t remember what had happened. He just hoped the real Alluka was alright, wherever she was. His sister had gotten much stronger. But the world was still a dangerous place, and he worried about her. But it seemed there was nothing he could do for now. He had to believe in Alluka and her abilities to defend herself.

 

But the Alluka who was sitting next to him brought him back to reality – more or less.

 

“What’s wrong, big bro?” she asked carefully, and her big puppy eyes made Killua’s heart melt.

 

“It’s nothing, I’m just tired.” He answered, and that wasn’t even made up.

 

 “Don’t fall asleep again.” Alluka said and grinned.

 

Killua smiled. “I’ll try.”

 

They drove for a while, no one saying a word since all three of them were still tired - Alluka more or less.  Suddenly Killua heard something rustling behind his seat in the car trunk. He felt something poking his cheek.

 

“Hey there, little fruit.” An all-too familiar voice purred.

 

Killua’s first instinct was to open the door and jump out of the car instantly. But he tried to resist that urge. “Hisoka!” he almost screamed and he slapped the man’s hand away.

 

He stared at Hisoka. The man was beyond recognition without the makeup. His messy hair and the large dark circles under his eyes were an addition.

 

He chuckled and grinned at him sleepily. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

Killua frowned and tried to shove him back to where he came from. “You didn’t scare me.”  That was a lie, but even if in this place everyone was different, it was still Hisoka.

 

Alluka looked at Killua and giggled, while Killua awkwardly smiled back at her. He could imagine what she was thinking now.  He probably was acting a little silly, but one could never be too careful.

 

Illumi had been busy with paying attention to the traffic. He took a look in the driving mirror. “Don’t tell me you slept there.” He said, which was clearly directed a Hisoka.

 

Hisoka shrugged and climbed on the seat between Killua and Alluka. “Your mother made it clear that she doesn’t want me in the house. There was nowhere else I could have stayed the night.”

 

He leaned over to Alluka and whispered “She really doesn’t like me.” whereat she giggled and replied quietly “She hates you.”

 

Hisoka sighed, overly dramatic. “She hates me for a good reason. A beautiful, dangerous man like me coming along and stealing her son away. I’d hate that person too, if I had such a pretty son.” He smirked at Illumi in the driving mirror.

 

Killua saw his brother rolling his eyes in the mirror.

 

“You didn’t ‘steal’ me away; I had to move out at some point and sharing an apartment is cheaper. Also my mother doesn’t hate you.”

 

Hisoka laughed, although Killua could tell the man was not exactly amused. “Whatever you want to call it, my friend. That aside, your beloved mother called me a criminal. She hurt my feelings there. I’m not going to stay in the same house as such a rude person.” He threw his head back dramatically.

 

Illumi shook his head and sighed. “Both of you are acting ridiculous. It’s not like she would have thrown you out of the house. You could have slept in my bed instead of sleeping in a darn car trunk, but have it your way.”

 

Killua was still trying to figure out what kind of relationship his brother and the apparently not so perverted man had. Hisoka was a flirty person.  But one could never tell when he was being serious – at least Killua couldn’t.

 

After a while he asked “Are you two…uhm…” not sure how to finish the sentence.

 

“We live together, if that’s what you mean.” Hisoka replied, without even letting Killua finish, and smirked at him.

 

Killua was still not sure how to process that information. But he didn’t want to know that much about their relationship anyway.

 

Hisoka was already paying attention to something else. He climbed into the front seat.

 

“Is there still some Bungee Gum left?” he asked, searching in storage compartments.

 

Illumi furrowed and pinched him. “I don’t know and I don’t care. What if someone from the police sees you climbing around in the car?” he said and turned around to Killua and Alluka. “Don’t try that.”

 

From the window Killua saw a huge building complex, presumably the school he was going to. His assumption was confirmed when his brother stopped the van and Alluka hopped out.

 

Killua got ready to leave as well when Illumi turned around one last time.

 

“I’ve got work to do, so you and Gon have to walk back home. Don’t forget to pick up something for tonight. Unless you want some of Mother’s ‘healthy’ snacks.” He said. It sounded as if he wasn't too fond of whatever their mother had come up with.

 

Hisoka, who had found his beloved gum by now, blew a bubble and let it pop right in Illumi’s face.

 

 

“What’s up with that?” he asked, ignoring the annoyed look he received from his friend.

 

“She wants Milluki to lose weight, but I honestly doubt solely vegetables will do. Anyway, see you later you two.” Illumi said and started the van while Hisoka waved while they left.

 

“Bye, little fruits~”

 

Killua sighed and looked up, wondering how long all this would probably last. More importantly if he would last long enough. It wasn’t a bad reality, dream or whatever it was. But it was odd.

 

Besides he had never been to a school and had no idea what would be expected of him. But didn’t his ‘other’ siblings here talk about how it was the last day of school?

 

He would probably survive that. Apart from this, Illumi had mentioned Gon earlier. This meant he was here somewhere and they would probably be reunited again soon. And that was enough to motivate Killua. It had been a long time since he had seen him after all.

 

\----

 

Killua began to observe the place closely. Three huge buildings, a big yard with a horde of kids and teenagers hanging around. Apparently the complex consisted of not just a secondary school but college just as well.

 

“Now I just need to find out where my classroom is…” he mumbled to himself. He would have asked Alluka for help, but his sister had already run off to her friends. At least that was what he assumed.

 

He didn’t even have to look around, since suddenly he heard a familiar voice yell his name. A moment later he was thrown to the ground and almost hugged to death.

 

“Killua, I’m so happy you’re here!”

 

Killua couldn’t believe it, but this was really Gon looking at him with a bright grin.

 

“Gon, I can’t breathe!” he gasped and finally was released.

 

His friend laughed, and stuck out his tongue. “Sorry.”

 

Behind them now Leorio and Kurapika appeared. Both stuck in a deep conversation. Although Kurapika seemed slightly annoyed.  Meanwhile Leorio had a goofy grin on his face.

 

Kurapika sighed and turned around to face the taller one directly. “See, I get your point. But you can't compare ducks with penguins.”

 

Leorio mumbled something under his breath. He was just about to reply when the blonde one walked over to Gon and Killua.

 

“Hey, how are you?” he asked.

 

“Good.” Killua answered, trying to sound casual. Still confused though, he thought to himself.

 

Gon smiled brightly and began jumping up and down.

“Aren’t you excited for the holidays? The week at your beach house is going to be amazing!”

 

Killua tilted his head to the side. “Beach house?” he asked.

 

Kurapika nodded. “Yes, you invited us to stay in your family’s beach house for one week. “

 

“Did I…” Killua mumbled under his breath.

 

“I’m sure it will be fun. But there is a small problem.” Kurapika said.

 

Gon laughed awkwardly. “Actually it’s a big problem.”

 

“What is it?” Killua asked.

 

Kurapika gave Leorio a soft punch on his arm whose expression darkened immediately.

 

“Someone didn’t pass his driving test. We have no one to drive us there and a cab would be too expensive.” He replied.

 

Leorio growled “It was bad luck, okay? I was just missing three points.”

 

“Failed is failed.” Kurapika said flatly whereas the taller one pouted and looked away.

 

Killua rubbed his neck. “Well, then I guess we need to find another way to get there.”

 

Suddenly Gon’s eyes lit up. “Your brother can drive, right? And he’s got a car, too!”

 

Killua raised his hands. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean, this is really not a good idea at all. You know my brother, don’t you?”

 

If he got to spend an entire week at the beach with Gon and his friends, he wouldn’t let Illumi ruin it. He wasn’t sure how his brother would do it, but he would definitely find a way. It was Illumi after all, no matter how nice he had been this morning.

 

Gon seemed to reflect about his suggestion. He started to wander around, lost in his thoughts. “Your brother doesn’t seem that bad. But the car belongs to his friend, right?”

 

Hisoka was not going to come along with them, and if Killua had to chain himself to the car tyres.

 

Kurapika furrowed. “Are you talking about Hisoka? That guy is shady. I doubt Killua’s mother would approve of him coming along. Let alone him running around in her beach house.”

 

Gon smiled. “Come on, he’s not that bad. He’s funny… I guess?”

 

Leorio stopped ignoring Kurapika since it didn’t seem to matter to the blonde one. He finally joined their conversation.

 

“Do I know that guy?”

 

Kurapika sighed and shook his head. “No and you should be glad. There are a lot of rumours that he broke the law more than just once. Your brother shouldn’t hang out with weird people like him.”

 

“I don’t know. My brother isn’t a saint either...” Killua mumbled without much thinking about his words. He had no idea who exactly Illumi in this world was. But it felt like a natural thing to say based on how his brother had acted until now. But he was really getting curious about Hisoka. What was up with everyone talking about him as if he was a delinquent? What if he really had been a member of a gang here, too? But then why would his brother even hang around with him? This Illumi didn’t seem like the kind of person to befriend someone with a criminal background. Sooner or later he would find out anyway, at least that was what he assumed.

 

Gon gave Killua a pat on the back “Well, you should still ask him if he can drive us there. See you guys later, we can call you after we’ve asked.” and with that he pulled Killua into the building.

 

\----

 

After a day of school, Killua had come to the conclusion that it was the most boring thing ever. Just sitting around, listening and possibly even taking notes. For him there was just no point in it. But the bright side was that he got to spend the whole time sitting next to Gon. And that was what had made the whole morning fun. They had been doodling on each other’s notepads, passing notes to each other.  Then they had held a pen-clicking competition which had ended when the teacher had confiscated their pens.

 

Now they were on the way back to the Zoldycks’ house, though Killua still had no clue how to get there. But apparently Gon knew the way.

 

His friend was skipping next to him cheerfully, singing “candy” over and over again. Killua was unsure how he had ended up here or how he would get back.  If he would even get the chance to go back.  But he wanted to spend some more time here if that meant he and Gon got to have fun together.

 

After a while they stopped in front of a supermarket. Gon turned around to him.

“Let’s get some candy! Also maybe we can say hello to my auntie.”

 

Killua nodded. “Sure.” Candy was always a good option.

 

\-----

 

They trotted through aisles and finally made it to the candy section.  There he and Gon pushed everything within reach into their basket. Once it was filled, Gon lead him to the dairy case where Aunt Mito was filling a list. But her face lit up when she saw Killua and Gon and she waved at them smiling brightly.

 

She came towards them and gave Gon a hug.

 

“Hey, there you are. How was school? Did you have fun?” she asked, looking at Killua as well.

 

Gon grinned “Yeah, but only because Killua was there.”

 

Killua could feel his cheeks turning red. There was the Gon he knew, being completely upfront with the ability fluster him in no time.

 

Mito laughed. “You two are so adorable. Well, have fun tonight, but don’t stay up too long. Sleep is important for children in growth.”

 

Gon nodded. “Understood!”

 

They said goodbye to Aunt Mito and went to the checkout.

 

\----

 

At home they had spent the rest of the afternoon playing around in the garden. It was nothing compared to a whole mountain, but it was still pretty huge. Killua couldn’t help but wonder what his father did for a living to afford such a house. He just couldn’t imagine his father doing something else but killing people.

 

Kalluto and Alluka had joined them for a bit. But after a while they had gotten bored and left them again.

 

It was already getting dark outside, when Illumi came out to look for them.

 

Gon and Killua had been busy building a tree-fort. At least they had tried, but the thing just kept falling apart.

 

Gon sighed “This is not going to work and I’m hungry.”

 

Killua yawned. “I guess you’re right. Let’s leave it for now.” He said and began to climb down to the lawn, where his brother was already waiting for them.

 

“Father just came home and everything is prepared for dinner.” He said and gave Killua and Gon an examining look. They hadn’t paid much attention to their surroundings and were covered in dirt. The grass stains on their clothes did little help.

 

“Maybe you should get changed first, you know Mother.” Illumi said. His expression told Killua that this was not a suggestion but a command. But he could live with that.

 

“Fine.” He mumbled and motioned Gon to follow him into the house.

 

When they came back downstairs and entered the dining room, everyone was already waiting.

 

His father, still in his working suit which couldn’t hide his muscles, sat at the end of the table. He was observing Hisoka closely, who was sitting there almost awkwardly.

 

Hisoka looked a lot different from this morning. His hair gelled back and make up hiding the dark circles from earlier.  But he seemed uncomfortable under Silva’s piercing glance. 

 

But who wouldn’t? His father was intimidating after all.

 

Next to him sat Illumi, who probably had dragged Hisoka into this ‘family’ dinner. He was currently showing Kalluto something on his phone. His youngest brother tried to pay attention to Illumi and Alluka at the same time. His sister was busy telling him something from the other side of the table. She probably didn't even notice how Kalluto was struggling.

 

She was wearing a frilly dress and a huge pink bow. Next to her sat Milluki who looked almost depressed. He stared at his empty plate in front of him and Killua almost felt sorry for him.

 

His Grandfather was seated at the other end of the table and watched the scene in front of him. He nodded at Killua and Gon, as they took a seat as well next to Alluka.

 

Killua heard his mother warbling away in the kitchen. An appetizing smell filled the room. Never had he expected his mother to cook for the entire family. But it was something he could get used to.

 

Finally his mother came into the dining room. She was carrying a huge baking dish, which she placed in the middle of the table.

 

After bringing in the rest of the dishes, she sat down next to Kalluto and let out a dramatic sigh.

 

Killua could tell what was going to happen now, and his father’s expression told him that he was absolutely right.

 

Kikyo sighed again and began to speak. “I hope all of you know that this will be our last dinner together as a family for a long time.” She made a pause and Killua swore he heard a sniffle coming from his mother.

 

She dramatically wiped a tear from her eye and continued “I will miss you all terribly.”

 

Before his wife could add another sour taste to the evening, Silva stepped in.

 

“Kikyo calm down. Don’t forget you’re the one who wants to send Milluki into that camp.”

 

Killua heard Milluki gulp. With things falling into place he finally understood why his brother was in such a bad mood. He wouldn’t spend his vacations with playing video games and watching his anime. But he would spend them with running around to lose weight instead. His mother was sending him to a fat camp!

 

He had to pull himself together not to snort with laughter. But the image of Milluki running around on a cinder pinch was too funny.

 

Kikyo let out a sorrowful sigh. “But my little Kalluto and Alluka are leaving too. What will I do without my two little angels?”

 

Killua felt his father getting tired of convincing her, and didn’t reply again.

 

Kalluto, who had stayed quiet until now, finally said something too. “Don’t be sad Mother. We will only be gone for a two weeks.”

 

Alluka nodded, quickly swallowing the food in her mouth. “At least you can take a break while we’re with grandma.” She grinned at Kikyo, who gave her a nod and a quiet smile, but she still seemed unhappy.

 

After a while Silva took a sip from his glass and broke the silence.

 

“Why don’t you go with Kalluto and Alluka? It’s been a while since you have seen your parents. Also Illumi stays here until the damages in the apartment are remedied. I’m sure he doesn’t mind looking after Killua while Father and I are at work. Besides, the boy is old enough to look after himself.”

 

Illumi nodded in agreement. “Sure.  I don’t have that much to do anyway.”

 

Kikyo seemed to consider her husband’s proposal. She looked at Killua with concern before she briefly inspected Hisoka. She was already unhappy with him being in her house. She was probably conflicted that he would stay here with Illumi while she was gone.

 

But apparently she had made her decision.  She looked up and let out another sigh.

 

“Fine, I will come with my two little angels. Illumi, promise me you will look after Killua.” He said and mumbled under her breath “And after that weird friend of yours.” But no one except Kalluto, who pursed his lips to a small smile, and Killua seemed to hear it.

 

Anyhow, Killua felt relieved. And he probably wasn’t the only one at the table who was happy his mother had calmed down.

 

Gon who had stayed quiet the whole time gave him a soft poke in the ribs and grinned at him. “Looks like you’ve got a free house for two weeks. That begs for a party.” He whispered.

 

Killua stuck out his tongue and laughed quietly.  “A party with two or even four people isn’t really a party.” He replied.

 

Gon shrugged. “But still, think of all the things we can do.”

 

Killua grinned at him. “We could decorate Milluki’s room with toilet paper while he’s gone.”

 

Milluki who was at his fifth serving by now, looked up and shot a deadly glare at the two of them.

 

“If you touch my figures or even go into my room, I’ll kill you.” He hissed.

 

“You won’t catch us and even then you could only crush us to death.” Killua replied whereas Silva snorted while trying to hide his smile.

 

Kikyo furrowed at Killua. “Killua! That isn’t funny. Apologize to your brother.” and she gave her husband an admonishing look as well. Silva quickly reattached his poker face and continued to eat.

 

After everyone had finished, Kikyo brought in the desserts. No one said a word, but suddenly his mother turned her attention to Hisoka.

 

“So, Hisoka, are you still in the weapon- and drug selling business?” she asked.

 

Hisoka, who was more surprised than Killua had expected of him, almost choked on his piece of cake. Illumi gave his mother a piercing look, a hint for her to stop asking uncomfortable questions.

 

Kalluto looked down to hide his amused smile, while Silva cleared his throat. “Well, we should go for a walk at the harbour to end this evening, what do you think.”

 

Alluka nodded excited. “Yes, they just opened a new shopping centre with an amazing candy shop!”

 

Illumi leaned back and gave his mother an annoyed look. “Yes, you should. Maybe you can clear your head a little, mother.”

 

Kikyo took a sip from her glass and wrinkled her nose. “A walk at the harbour sounds charming.” She said, ignoring Illumi’s statement once again.

 

Killua sighed. “Do we have to tag along? There is an unfinished tree fort in the garden waiting for us.”

 

Silva shook his head. “No, you can stay here, but don’t stay outside for too long.” He replied and got up to clear the table. “Anyhow, I don’t mind. Illumi, are you coming with us?” he asked his oldest son.

 

Illumi got up. “I’m afraid, no. Hisoka’s got work to do and I’m not in the mood for a walk.”

 

Kikyo raised her eyebrow at Hisoka. “Ah, work. Don’t sell drugs to minors or kill someone, yes?”

 

Killua didn’t even have to look at the man to tell that he was gritting his teeth. But Hisoka kept up his manners.

 

“Goodbye, Mrs. Zoldyck. It has been a lovely evening.” He said and cracked a smile.

 

Illumi sighed and dragged him out. “See you later.”

 

Killua was sure those two would have a talk later. His mother really hated Hisoka, for whatever reason. There was no proof he had ever done something illegal – at least not yet. Based on how he had behaved today this Hisoka almost seemed like a perfect angel compared to the pervert Killua knew.

 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Gon, who was already in his jacket and motioned him to go outside again.

 

\----

 

It was half an hour before midnight when Killua and Gon went back into the house. They had worked on their tree fort, but had given up when Mike had started barking at the tree, demanding their attention.   He was a lot smaller than the guard dog of Kukuroo Mountain and a lot friendlier. After a long session of fetch, Mike had lost interest and gone back into his dog house.

 

Killua and Gon were sitting on his bed playing a video game on one of Milluki’s consoles. They had ‘borrowed’ it from his room while he had been gone with the rest of his family. And he hadn’t noticed since they were back.

 

After losing another round to Gon, Killua pushed him off the bed and pouted.

 

“No fair. You’re cheating.”

 

Gon laughed and climbed back onto the bed. “How would I do that? You were not paying attention!”

 

Killua stuck out his tongue and Gon stuck out his in return and both started laughing.

 

The evening had been amazing. Killua began to enjoy this life without having to fight and especially living with this laid-back family.

 

Suddenly Gon’s eyes lit up and he jumped from the bed.

 

“We forgot to ask your brother about the trip to the beach house!” he shouted, ruffling through his hair. “How could we forget about that?”

 

It was true, Killua hadn’t thought about the whole thing since this morning. But it probably wasn’t too late to ask.

 

“Then we should ask him now.” Killua declared. “Let’s hope Hisoka isn’t back yet.”

 

The thought Hisoka and Illumi sharing a bed and doing things people do who shared a bed send shivers down his spine. Although he still wasn’t sure what exactly their relationship was. But it was a possibility.

 

As expected, Illumi was sleeping in his bed – alone, much to Killua’s relief. While Gon waited outside, Killua snuck into the room. While entering, he immediately stubbed his toe on the edge of his brother’s wardrobe.

 

He could have cursed, but he didn’t want to wake Illumi yet. Usually Killua could see perfectly in the dark due to years of training. But for some reason he couldn’t make use of any of his abilities in this place.

 

He gritted his teeth in pain and exhaled sharply.  But apparently that was already enough to wake his brother who seemed to have almost superhuman hearing.

 

“Killua, are you alright?” he asked, now sitting up straight in his bed.

 

“Yes.” Killua hissed, still angry that he hadn’t been more careful. After the pain had decreased he sat down next to his brother, feeling a little awkward.

 

This was almost a completely new situation. Just talking to his brother asking him for normal things… But if he had to answer in honesty, Killua liked this Illumi.

 

His brother tilted his head and asked “Is there anything you want from me?”

 

Killua nodded, not sure if his brother could see it in the dark.

 

Illumi covered his mouth and yawned. “I hope this is nothing serious.”

 

“It’s not, I was just thinking about something. I think I already told you about the trip to the beach house?” Killua asked.

 

“The trip with Gon and your friends?”

 

“Yes that one. There is a small problem.”

 

“Let me guess, you don’t have anyone to drive you there?” Illumi said and Killua could have sworn he saw a smirk cross his brother’s face.

 

“How did you know?” Killua asked.

 

“Why else would you sneak into my room in the middle of the night and ask me about it?” Illumi replied.

 

Thinking about it, Killua came to the conclusion that figured pretty well. It seemed his brother still had his high intelligence, which usually was a disadvantage.

 

He cleared his throat. “So, what do you think?”

 

Illumi sighed and let himself fall back onto his mattress. “You want me to go through a 3 hour drive in a car that’s not mine. Hisoka in the front seat annoying me and you with your friends in the back? I hope you do realize that once Hisoka enters that house, he’s not going to leave until you guys do. I can’t just drive back home once I drop you off.”

 

“We could chain Hisoka to his seat.” Killua grinned.

 

Illumi blew out some air which Killua took as a form of laughing.

 

“I’ll drive you there, if you can live with the consequences.” He said after a while.

 

“Thank you.” Killua didn’t think about it and found himself hugging Illumi. His brother pushed him away soon afterwards.

 

“You’re welcome. Can I get back to sleep now?” he asked whereas Killua just nodded and wished him goodnight.

 

\-----

 

As Killua left the room, Gon had left already. He had no clue where his friend had gone, but he heard voices coming from Alluka’s room.

 

He peeked through the door. Gon and Alluka were chattering on her bed while toying around with some of her dolls.

 

Killua cleared his throat. “Excuse me? Gon, why did you run away? Also, Alluka shouldn’t you be sleeping by now?” He was her older brother after all.

 

Alluka pouted and crossed her arms in pretend. “I’m a big girl already. I can decide when I want to sleep.” But she couldn’t hide her smile and threw a teddy bear at Killua. “Shouldn’t you two be sleeping as well? Don’t let mother or father hear you.” She said.

 

Gon stretched and almost slipped from the mattress while doing so. But he quickly caught himself before it was too late.

 

“Sorry, Killua, I was getting bored.” He said and grinned sheepishly.

 

Killua sighed and pulled Gon from his sister’s bed. “Whatever, Illumi is driving us to the beach house. We should call Kurapika and Leorio tomorrow morning…”

 

Leorio had probably spent the evening studying and thus was asleep on his desk by now. Kurapika presumably had gone to bed long ago. It would be rude to call them this late. Thinking about it, it also hadn’t been too nice of him to ask his brother at this hour. But if Hisoka was back by tomorrow, the timing would be even worse.

 

He was cut out of his thoughts when he was hit by another plush animal coming from his sister. Alluka grinned at him. “Aren’t you going to wish me a good night and wish me fun at grandma’s? You know we’re leaving super early tomorrow and I doubt you and Gon will be awake then.”

 

A confident smile crossed Killua’s face. “Don’t underestimate me. I’ll be up even before mother, you have my word.” He declared.

 

Alluka laughed. “Just like this morning? Please, you’ll oversleep as usual and we’ll be gone already.” She replied in a cheerful tone, although she seemed a little sad.

 

“Then you have to wake me up, just to be sure.” Killua suggested.

 

“Deal!” Alluka accepted happily.

 

They made a pinkie promise after which Killua gave his sister a hug. He wished her goodnight and went back to his room with Gon, who had gotten tired by now.

 

After Killua had finally made himself comfortable in his bed, he looked down to the floor. Gon was sleeping on his mattress peacefully.

 

“Are you still awake?” he whispered.

 

There was no response. After a while he heard a soft snoring noise and laughed quietly. He shifted around in his blanket, trying to find a comfortable position. He could talk to Gon tomorrow.

 

He felt his eyes getting heavier. As he drifted into sleep, he had no idea he was already forgetting that this wasn’t the world where he belonged.


	2. oddities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua tries to enjoy a summer day with Gon. But at the same time he has to cope with the sudden loss of all his memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was determined to update every friday/saturday, but my plans were shattered by the flu...  
> In the future I'll try to update every monday.
> 
> Thank you for all the sweet comments and shoutout to loseourmindstogether for being an amazing beta reader. Thank you for your help!
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as the first one and I'll stop now.  
> Enjoy!

The next morning Killua was woken up by someone jumping on his bed.

 

“Get up, big bro!” a cheerful voice chirped, but the bouncing didn’t stop.

 

Killua groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He had never had a problem with getting up early, but this early was just too painful.

 

“Gon, you have to help me, Killu won’t get up!” he heard Alluka say from under his blanket. He could hear his friend laugh and soon he had another person jumping on his bed. If they kept this up, the bed drawer would break.

 

An aimed jump from Gon was enough, and Killua almost flew out of the bed. He would have hurt himself if he hadn’t landed on Gon’s sleeping mattress on the ground.

 

Alluka jumped off the bed and hugged him. “Hurray, Killua is finally up!”

 

Killua returned the hug, but pouted at Gon in pretend, who now hopped off the bed as well.

“You traitor.”

 

 “Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.” Gon laughed and got hit by a pillow which came from Killua.

 Gon was about to grab another pillow for payback, but Alluka stopped him.

 

“Are you going to have a pillow fight, or will you come say goodbye? Mother is already crying, and if we don’t make this quick, she’ll ruin father’s suit.” She asked and grinned slightly.

 

Killua sighed and got up. If Alluka was right, his mother was already clinging to his father and sobbing dramatically.

 

Alluka tried not to laugh, but started to giggle. “This time it’s almost as bad as when big brother Illumi moved out. Remember?”

 

Killua shook his head. He didn’t remember…

 

But why didn’t he remember? His memories were foggy and there was nothing about his oldest brother moving out.

 

Alluka hid her mouth behind her sleeve, but Killua knew there was a bright grin on her face. “His shirt was completely wet on his shoulder, because Mother hugged him the whole time and wouldn’t stop crying.”

 

Killua tried to imagine Illumi desperately trying to shove away their mother, with a soaked shirt and laughed.

 

“We should hurry then.” He said after a while. “Gon, you’re coming too?”

 

Gon nodded. “Sure thing!”

 

Killua and Gon helped Alluka carry the rest of her baggage downstairs.

 

His sister explained that she didn’t need that much clothing for the two weeks. But she insisted that at least half of her dolls and stuffed animals came with her.

 

At the front porch their father already came towards them and carried the suitcases to the car with ease.

 

After the weight of the baggage was gone, Killua finally got to take a look at the scene in front of him.

 

Kikyo was showering Milluki in kisses while giving Illumi directions how to look after the house. Kalluto already sat in the car, ears clogged with his headphones. At least someone was smart enough to avoid the drama.

 

Apparently his father was going to leave for today as well, to drop Milluki off. Killua made that assumption based on the painful expression his brother made and his mother who kissed Milluki to death. After she was done, she moved right on to his father to kiss him.

 

Gon had decided to stay in the background for now, which was probably best. Killua should have done the same, but before he got to finish his thoughts, his mother was almost hugging him to death.

 

“I’m going to miss you, my little cupcake!” his mother sniffed, giving him a big smooch on the cheek. Killua tried to escape his mother’s love, but that woman had a grasp like no other.

 

Finally his father came to the rescue, accompanying his mother to the car to say goodbye.

 

Alluka gave Gon a hug and said goodbye, then she hopped to Killua and jumped into his arms. “Bye bye, big bro! Call me sometime, yes?” she said and her big puppy eyes made his heart melt again.

 

Alluka really was the cutest.

 

“I promise.” He said, rustling through her hair, whereas Alluka giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

 

Then she climbed into the car, where their mother and Kalluto were waiting already.

 

Finally the two cars left the driveway, and Killua felt almost relieved with his family gone and the silence returning.

 

Gon stood now next to him, and both stood there waiting as the cars disappeared from their view.

 

Illumi joined them and as Killua examined his brother, he was surprised he looked so tired. But of course his hair was still perfectly in its place.

 

After a long moment of silence, which all seemed to enjoy, Illumi began to speak.

 

“Do you guys want breakfast?”

 

Gon accepted happily before Killua could even answer, but something to eat sounded great.

 

They went into the kitchen and his brother began to cook something.

 

It somehow felt unreal that his brother was actually cooking. But he was always attentive to do everything in the most perfect way, so Killua expected the food not to be too bad.

 

It was weird, for he couldn’t remember seeing his brother ever cooking before this morning. But there were many other things he had no memory of.

 

He had often heard how the brain changed during puberty, although he wasn’t sure if memory loss was part of that process. Probably not, but who knew.

 

Gon sat at the table, already waiting. It was easy to tell when he was hungry. His eyes got bigger with each minute that passed, his legs were swinging under the table and he watched the pan on the stove in excitement.

 

While they waited, the backdoor creaked open and it sounded as if someone was sneaking trough the living room.

 

Killua almost flinched when Hisoka stepped into the kitchen.

 

He came up to Illumi and whispered “Is your mother gone already?”

 

Illumi just nodded. “Yes, she’s long gone. No need to creep around the house like a burglar, it’s creepy. The neighbours might call the police.”

 

Hisoka blew out some air and let himself fall onto a chair next to Gon.

 

“What kind of neighbourhood is this anyway? All these rich people everywhere... Well, I’m glad your mom’s finally gone. That means I can finally bring in my clothes and don’t have to live in the van anymore.” He said and smirked.

 

Illumi turned off the stove, giving Hisoka an annoyed side glance.

 

“I’m repeating myself, but as I said: you already could have stayed here while my mother was around. But yes, please stop living in the van.”

 

He placed two plates in front of Killua and Gon, and Gon’s eyes grew bigger.

 

“Thank you!” he said cheerfully and began to eat.

 

Killua nodded at his brother, who did the same thing in return and sat down next to Hisoka.

 

The man peered at Gon’s plate too obviously for Illumi not to notice and he sighed.

 

“I take you’re hungry as well?”

 

Hisoka leaned back and looked away, dodging the question.

 

 “I should watch my waistline, you know...”

 

As everyone heard his stomach rumbling, Illumi stood up anyway to get a piece of cake and placed it in front of the man.

 

“Eat. And no backtalk.”

 

“Well, I can’t say no to that.”

 

Illumi shook his head. “You’re unbelievable sometimes. It's not that hard to admit you're hungry.”

 

“I’m shy, you know.” Hisoka mumbled mouth full of cake.

 

“Of course...”

 

Killua saw Illumi rolling his eyes at the man who didn’t let that bother him and continued to eat.

 

His brother sighed and turned his attention to Gon and Killua.

 

“Do you guys have any plans for today already?” he asked, toying around with a lock of his hair which seemed to interest him deeply.

 

Gon was still chewing and gave Killua a nod to answer for both of them.

 

Killua scratched his neck. “Well, we still have to call Leorio and Kurapika about the trip to the beach house.”

 

Gon swallowed and nodded. “I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear you’re driving us there.”

 

Illumi and Killua's eyes widened almost at the same time. He peered at Hisoka who suddenly seemed to be very interested.

 

“You little fruits are going to the beach house, huh?” he asked.

 

Gon nodded. “Yes.”

 

“And Illumi is driving you there, right?” Hisoka asked, smiling at Gon as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth.

 

Illumi shook his head, while mouthing a ‘no’ while Killua crossed his hands at Gon, a hint for him to stop talking.

 

But Gon didn’t get it and nodded again. “Yes, isn’t that nice of him?”

 

Hisoka’s smirk grew bigger and he peered at Illumi who suddenly found the clock on the wall very interesting.

 

“Illumi. Sweet beautiful Illumi… you wouldn’t think about using my car for a trip to the beach without taking me with you, right?”

 

Killua chewed on his lip. It was too late to pretend it had all been a joke, but the look on his brother’s face told him he was thinking about a way to talk Hisoka out of this.

 

After a while he said “Of course not, but we’re not going to stay. My mother would kill me, if she found out you’ve been in her beach house.”

 

Killua felt relieved. That seemed like a reasonable excuse even Hisoka wouldn’t argue with, but he was wrong again.

 

Hisoka sighed. “Well, I don’t want to ruin the fun or incur you mother’s wrath…” he made a long dramatic pause.

 

“It’s just... I never got to spend some time at the beach…” he said softly and Killua couldn’t help but felt immediate guilt when he saw the man’s eyes.

 

It was obviously just an act, but Hisoka was a damn good at it.

 

His brother seemed to be feeling the same, since he furrowed at Hisoka but his expression softened soon afterwards.

 

“To guilt-trip me like that, you should be ashamed.” He mumbled angrily, but then replied “Fine, we can stay there – but only for the weekend we arrive.”

 

Hisoka formed a pleased smile . “How lovely of you… though you didn’t have to invite me.” he teased.

 

Illumi gritted his teeth.

“Do you want me to hit you?” he hissed whereas Hisoka just laughed, explaining he had been joking.

 

Gon smiled awkwardly and then whispered to Killua “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get him to come with us.”

 

Killua waved it off and replied “Apology accepted. It’s not that bad...”

 

Though he doubted Kurapika would be too happy with Hisoka hanging around, even if it was just for a weekend. Hopefully the man would behave with Illumi around. At least he seemed reasonable enough to stop his friend from being too intrusive or bothering them.

 

“Well, I hope you guys can shift for yourself for some time. I have to leave for work soon.” Illumi said after a while.

 

Hisoka raised an eyebrow. “Since when do you work during weekends?”

 

“I took a second job so we could pay for the repair costs faster. But I’m not going to pay for them all by myself, so you better do some extra dances too.” Illumi said and looked like he regretted saying that immediately afterwards.

 

Gon tilted his head. “Hisoka, are you a dancer?”

 

Killua had a bad feeling about this.

 

Hisoka chuckled amused and pursed his lips to a smile. “Not exactly, my little fruit - although it could be considered a kind of dancing.”

 

He smirked at Illumi. “It is funny how the man who tried to keep my profession a secret is also the man who divulged it.”

 

Killua saw how his brother’s expression darkened, but he remained silent. Suddenly everything became clear to Killua and he turned red just thinking about it. ‘ _Ew._ ’

 

Gon had no idea what was going on. “So what is it that you do, Hisoka?

 

Hisoka threw back his head and smirked. “I am a professional pole dancer, little fruit.”

 

Illumi covered his face with his hands, apparently kind of embarrassed.

 

“Of course you had to add the professional.” He mumbled whereas Hisoka chuckled amused.

 

“Why of course, I’m no amateur...”

 

Killua quickly shook of the thought of a half-naked Hisoka swinging around a pole with money sticking from his thong. Even thinking about that send shivers down his spine.

 

Yet Gon wasn’t even surprised. “If it‘s just that…” he said without blinking an eye, leaving all three of them astonished.

 

As he continued eating, Hisoka smiled at Illumi. “So what job did you take? No wait, don’t answer. I want to guess. You work as… a gymnastic coach?”

 

Illumi shook his head. “No. As much as I’d love to, little kids are terrified of me for some reason.”

 

Hisoka chuckled.

“That’s hard to imagine, after all you have such a beautiful face. No one could be terrified of you, only stunned by your marvellous-“

 

He was cut off by a towel hitting him in the face, which was thrown by Illumi.

 

“Stop the sweet talk, unless you’re serious about it. I took a job as a lifesaver at the public pool.” He said.

 

A smug grin crossed Hisoka’s face. “Oh. So you will lie around at a pool in nothing but a speedo the whole day? Perhaps I should pay you a visit sometime.”

 

“I will be wearing clothes, don’t get too excited.” Illumi replied and Killua saw Hisoka’s smile fading.

 

“What a shame.” He sighed, but was ignored completely.

 

Illumi left the kitchen and Hisoka went to fetch his things from the van soon afterwards.

 

Killua watched Gon finish his breakfast and let his thoughts wander. Something felt weird, but he had been feeling that way since he woke up. There was so much he didn’t remember. Illumi had mentioned that he had taken a second job, but what did he usually work as? He also had forgotten what his father or grandfather did for a living.

 

He remembered the birthdays of his family members, but he couldn’t recall ever experiencing one of them, let alone his own. He didn’t remember meeting Gon at the first day of school, or any other day until yesterday.

 

Killua knew there was something that had been bugging him yesterday, but he didn’t remember what it was. It was probably nothing important, but the fact that he had no memories of his life up until last morning wasn’t to be taken easily.

 

He was staring at the ceiling when he caught himself mumbling “Have you ever heard of temporary amnesia?”

 

The question wasn’t directed at anyone. But Gon gave him a concerned look and replied “I haven’t. Are you not feeling well, Killua?”

 

He wasn’t feeling well at all, but this was nothing to bother Gon with.

 

“Hm…? No, I’m fine. I was just thinking.” Killua answered and smiled at his friend, who tilted his head in suspicion.

 

It was hard to hide things from Gon, especially when his big eyes stared at him as if he was staring into his soul. But it appeared Killua’s smile was convincing enough for Gon and he accepted it without further questions.

 

“Well, let’s call Leorio and Kurapika! Afterwards we can think about what we’ll do then.”

 

* * *

 

“It’s too hot!” Gon said and dug his head into the sofa pillows with a load groan.

 

Killua agreed. It was terribly hot.

They had told Kurapika and Leorio that the trip to the beach house was happening and spend the morning in the garden fooling around. After Illumi had left, Hisoka also had mysteriously vanished and they had the house all for themselves.

But it had gotten too hot over midday and they had fled from the summer’s heat. But even inside the house the warmth was unbearable.

 

Killua heard Gon ruffle around in the pillows, probably waiting for some kind of reply from him.

 

He sighed. “I could take a bath in a tub filled with ice cubes right now.”

Lying in ice chilled water was a pleasant thought, but his father would probably give him hell for wasting their water for a tub of ice cubes.

 

Gon lifted up his head from the pillows. “We really should visit your brother at the pool. I bet he could get us in there for free.”

 

Killua rubbed his neck using a cold soda bottle which came out of the fridge. “I don’t know about that. What if Hisoka is there too? I could think of more pleasant ways to roast in the heat than to watch Hisoka thirst after my brother all day.”

He shuddered at the thought of it. “No thank you.”

 

The answer he received was a muffled laugh coming from Gon. He had dug his head back into the pillows and a hard to understand “I think that would be funny.”

 

Killua shoved Gon off the sofa. “Get out of the pillows. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

 

As Gon hit the floor he laughed and pulled Killua down as well. Killua fell onto the carpet right next to Gon and gritted his teeth. He wasn’t serious about it, but that deserved some kind of punishment.

 

Gon looked unsure for a moment, not sure what to expect.  “Killua?”

 

Killua grinned mischievously. “Prepare to suffer.”

With that he jumped onto him and began to tickle him.

 

Gon tried to free himself, but Killua was too fast.

After a while both of them were completely out of breath.

 

Killua rolled off of Gon and stretched himself.

“It’s too hot for things like that.” He sighed.

 

Gon finally caught his breath again and pinched Killua’s arm. “I almost choked from laughing and you’re complaining about the heat.”

 

“You had it coming.” Killua replied and rolled from the carpet on the bare, much cooler floor.

 

He heard the air conditioner whirring, but he doubted the thing was actually working.

 

“Maybe we really should go to the pool.” He said after a while.

 

“But I didn’t bring any swimming trunks with me.” Gon mumbled and yawned.

 

Killua jumped up and pulled Gon off the floor. “Then you can borrow some of mine, let’s get going!”

 

“What a quick decision.”

 

“I'm dying from the heat. Come on!” Killua replied and ran up the stairs to get some swimming things.

 

* * *

 

The pool was unexpectedly close to their neighbourhood. Gon apparently knew the way and after less than ten minutes they had arrived.

And it was much livelier than Killua had expected.

 

It was the first day of the summer vacations. Usually that was when most people went on a road trip, flew to tropical islands and whatnot.

 

But apparently half of the town had decided that it was the perfect day for a trip to the pool.

 

As they got in line at the entrance, suddenly it hit Killua.

 

He tugged at Gon’s sleeve. “Gon, did you bring some money?”

 

Gon tilted his head. “Huh?”

 

“How are we going to get in?” Killua asked, angry that he didn’t think of it himself.

 

Gon slapped his forehead. “Oh shoot! I completely forgot about that…”

 

Killua sighed. Maybe they were lucky enough to slip in or perhaps there was a nice elder lady behind the cash register…

 

It wasn’t an old lady behind the register, but a young woman who was about the same age as his brother. She was… average looking. Long hair, big blue eyes and bright red lipstick.

But she had a heart-warming smile.

 

Maybe she had such a warm heart that she would let them in after all. Killua was already planning how he would explain their situation or something else that would get them in. When the woman noticed him, her eyes lit up and she smiled at them.

 

Killua opened his mouth, ready for an explanation. But before he could speak, he was cut off by her.

 

“Ah! I know you. You’re Illumi’s little brother! Killua, was it?” she asked.

 

She sounded friendly and overall cheerful, which Killua found admirable. He would have lost his mind if he had to spend a whole day out in the heat.

 

Killua nodded. “Yes. That’s me.”

 

“My, you’re adorable.” She laughed. “I bet your brother will be happy to see you. In school we were in the same class. Your brother was one of the nicest boys in our year and I remember him talking about you quite often…” she said.

 

Killua immediately noticed how her smile grew bigger when she mentioned Illumi. That woman obviously had the hots for his brother.

 

“I see.” He replied.

 

The woman smiled, now with a hint of shyness. “Did… Illumi ever talk about me?” she asked, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

 

“What’s your name?” Killua asked. He could see clearly where this was going.

 

“I’m Candy.” She answered, playing around with one of her wristbands and awaiting his answer.

 

“Not that I remember…” he admitted.

 

He saw her smile faint and quickly added “But Illumi never really talked about school at home.”

 

That was a lie.

He didn’t remember any conversations he and Illumi had before yesterday, but Illumi hardly seemed to care for a lot of people. On top of that, he didn’t have the heart to tell her that his brother was much more interested in other men.

 

Candy seemed slightly disappointed by that answer, but she quickly put on her smile again.

 

“I see. Well, you and your friend can go in for free this time, okay? Maybe tell Illumi I let you in, hm?” she asked and winked at him. As if that would make Illumi fall for her…

 

Killua laughed awkwardly “Sure thing.” And quickly went in with Gon.

 

On the way to the locker rooms Gon grinned at him.

“Looks like Illumi is quite the heartbreaker, huh?”

 

Killua let out an annoyed groan. “Oh Please! That was so awkward… Let’s never talk about that again.”

 

Gon laughed. “I’ll try.”

 

They got changed and showered quickly.

 

When they entered the shower rooms, Killua took a look around the area. There were an awful lot of people.

 

“Maybe we can find my brother and leave our stuff there.” He suggested. He had no desire to have his things stolen.

 

Gon agreed “Sounds good to me.”

 

It was hard to find anyone with all these people around.

 

Killua was about to ask Gon where they should look first, but then was taken by surprise as someone gave him a slap on the shoulder.

 

“Hello my little fruits!”

 

Killua gritted his teeth. “Hisoka.”

Why did that man always have to show up when one needed him the least?

 

Hisoka smiled brightly and ignored Killua’s frown.

“I take you’re looking for your beloved brother as well?”

 

Killua sighed. For some reason he still didn’t like Hisoka. He didn’t remember why, but there was a voice inside of him that told him to be on guard.

 

“Yes, we’re looking for him.” He said.

 

“Then perhaps we should team up. Two heads are better than one, right?” Hisoka said with that creepy, cheery smile of his.

 

Killua still didn’t remember anything apart from yesterday. But that smile felt familiar. And his subconsciousness connected it with no good.

 

But looking together was faster than alone. He rubbed his neck. “Fine, let’s look for him together.”

 

* * *

 

Hisoka seemed to have a unique intuition when it came to tracking down Illumi. It took him less than five minutes to find him in the crown, while Killua had no idea where they should have looked first.

 

But Hisoka also seemed to have a thing for scaring people as greeting.

 

Before Killua could warn his brother, Hisoka snuck up behind Illumi and lifted him up.

Illumi clearly had not been expecting the surprise and was about to punch him straight in the face.

 

But after realizing it was just Hisoka, he lowered his fist and rolled his eyes at Hisoka who just laughed.

 

Killua and Gon watched the scene from a safe distance.

 

Illumi fought to be let down again while Hisoka tried to kiss him. In the end he got tired of Illumi tucking on his hair and let him down.

 

“You are so cruel, Illumi.” He pouted slightly while rubbing his head. His brother seemed to have inherited his mother's death grip.

 

Illumi threw his hair back and gave the other man a side glance. “And you are full of nothing but mischief.”

 

Gon leaned over to Killua and whispered “Those two have the weirdest relationship.”

 

Killua sighed. “Tell me about it.”

He had no idea why Hisoka and Illumi got together in the first place.  The ways of love were strange indeed.

 

If one could talk about love at all - He still was unsure about their relationship.

 

Illumi finally noticed Killua and Gon were present as well, and he left Hisoka to walk over to them.

 

The expression his brother carried made it hard to tell if he was happy to see them, or if he was still annoyed because of Hisoka.

But Illumi formed a smile when he stood in front of them.

 

“Did you get bored at home?” he asked jokingly.

 

“Maybe a little.” Killua answered. Then he remembered something.

 

“Illumi, do you know someone called Candy?” he asked.

 

Illumi stared at him for a moment, searching in the depths of his memory for someone who carried that name. After a while he shook his head.

 

“I don’t think I do.” He replied. “Why do you ask?”

 

Killua rubbed his neck. “Never mind.”

Looks like Candy never had a chance to get with his brother in the first place.

Perhaps he and Gon should take a different way out. He didn’t feel like bumping into her and conducting another awkward conversation.

 

 “Can you watch our bags while we’re gone?” he asked.

 

Illumi glanced at their bags then back at them. “Hm… I guess I could do that. Just drop them next to the lifeguard chair.”

 

“Aye!” Gon took Killua's hand and dragged him over to the chair. While he put down his bag he noticed how Illumi turned his attention back to Hisoka.

 

“Don’t you have some kind of work to do?” he asked.

Hisoka smiled and winked at him.

 

“Not until 7 - which means I still have plenty of time to admire how great you look today.”

 

 “More like plenty of time to annoy me…as long as you don’t stop me from doing my job, I’m fine with it.” Illumi said and walked past him.

 

As he noticed Hisoka checking out his brother from behind with a pleased look, Killua quickly turned his attention back to Gon. There was no need to watch those two any longer than needed.

 

Gon smiled and got up on his feet. “I’m ready for some cooling.”

 

Killua nodded in agreement. “Let’s go then.”

 

* * *

 

It had gotten late already when Killua and Gon got changed and went to retrieve their things.

 

The last visitors had just left the pool – a family with a little girl who had lost her plush bunny somewhere.

When Killua and Gon had gone for a last ride with the water slide, he had caught Illumi taking to them.

He had assured them to get in contact as soon as the bunny was found, though he had looked everything but optimistic.

 

Killua put his diving goggles back into his bag when Illumi returned from locking up the shower rooms. Gon was busy fighting with his bathing towel which wouldn’t fit into his bag.

 

Illumi stretched and let out a yawn. “Grab your things and then let’s get out of here. We have two more minutes until the lights go out and it gets really creepy when everything is dark.”

 

Gon looked up at him. “Are there water ghosts in here at night?”

 

“Perhaps…” Illumi said with a smirk whereas Gon’s eyes widened.

 

Killua laughed “Maybe one of them took that stupid plush bunny.”

 

His brother let out an exhausted sigh. “Ugh, don’t remind me. That thing is never going to appear again anyway. What’s lost in the pool stays in the pool…who even brings their plushed animals when going for a swim?”

 

He bend down and after he had helped Gon with his towel, he took both of their bags and gave the sign to leave.

 

On their way out, Killua shot a side glance at Gon. “When does your auntie want you home?”

 

“She said she wanted me to be home by nine.”

 

Killua looked up at the large clock above the entrance. “Big bro, will we make it in time? We still have to get Gon’s things from home.

 

Illumi nodded. “Sure. If I’ll drive, we’re going to be over-punctual, trust me.”

 

“If you say so…” Killua muttered.

 

“I thought you didn’t have a car?” he added after a while.

 

“Hm? Oh, I borrowed one of dad’s. But you know how he is… I’m only allowed to use it if it is absolutely necessary.” Illumi said and he sounded almost unhappy.

 

“So that’s what is inside that huge garage...” Killua mumbled.

 

Illumi gave him a weird look. “What?”

 

Killua quickly waved it off. “It’s nothing, let’s hurry.”

 

* * *

 

Killua should have paid more attention to his brother’s words. He didn’t remember much of the drive from the pool to their house, but he sure know that he had feared for his life and know felt terribly sick.

 

Illumi was not exactly a reckless driver. But Killua seriously questioned the person that had given his brother his driving license.

 

When he got out of the car, Killua staggered and found it hard not to stumble over his own feet.

He held his head, trying to focus on a fixed point.

 

“Big bro… When I asked you if we’ll be there in time, I didn’t mean ‘drive like there’s a horde of undead chasing us’.” He muttered.

 

Gon laughed. “Don't trip, Killua.”

 

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice I was driving that fast...”Illumi said and gave his younger brother a pitying look.

 

“Don’t worry, Illumi. I thought it was fun.” Gon grinned.

 

Killua rolled his eyes. Every normal human would have feared for their lives, but of course Gon had enjoyed that hell-ride.

 

After he opened the front door and they entered the hallway, Illumi squad down next to Killua and observed him closely.

 

“You really don’t look too good… I’ll help Gon get his stuff and you sit down for a moment and drink something, you hear me?” he declared.

 

Killua nodded, still feeling a little dizzy.

 

While Gon and Illumi went upstairs, Killua went in the kitchen and got a cooled water bottle from the fridge.

 

After emptying it in less than two minutes, he shuffled back to the living room and plumped down on the couch.

 

He didn’t remember the couch cushion being this soft, but it was and he closed his eyes for a moment.

 

The sounds from upstairs sounded more and more muffled and far away and he slowly fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but when he opened his eyes everything was completely dark. Maybe Illumi and Gon had left without him.

 

He had been awoken by a loud permanent hum. It came out of nowhere and it was incredibly loud.

 

Killua rose to his feet and covered his ears, but that didn’t make it better. He looked around for a source, but there was none.

 

It felt as if it directly came from inside his head, but he couldn’t do anything to make it go away.

 

“What the hell-“ Killua felt blood dripping from his nose and the noise became louder.

He felt as if he was about to lose it, then suddenly he saw a glowing from outside the window. A bright, cold light appeared on the grass and the hum turned into a beeping noise.

 

For a moment Killua considered to run upstairs to get Gon or his brother or someone to help him, but there was no point in it. The light grew brighter and the beeping louder.

 

 _‘Make it stop. Please, just make it stop.’_   He felt as if his head was about to explode. 

 

He stared at the living room in front of him. Either way he was hallucinating or the walls were really crumbling away.

 

He spun around, facing the window again. _‘Please make it stop.’_ The light flashed and blinded him, then everything went dark and he felt like falling.

 

* * *

 

“Killua.”

 

Someone familiar was shaking him by his shoulders. He kept his eyes closed and grumbled something he wasn’t able to make out himself.

 

“Killua, it’s time to get up.”

 

The voice did not give in and its owner kept shaking him. How irritating.

 

Killua blinked. Through his blurred vision he was able to make out two persons standing in front of him.

 

He didn’t remember much of his dream, but his head hurt slightly. He felt weird, uncomfortable in his own body.

 

When he rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly, the weird feeling disappeared.

His vision became clear and he realized the two people were Gon and his brother.

 

Illumi sat down next to him on the sofa. He ruffled through his hair. “Did you sleep well?” His brother tried to hide his grin, but Killua noticed it even so.

 

He pouted. “What’s so funny about me falling asleep?”

 

“Nothing, but Gon pointed out how much younger you look when you’re sleeping.” Illumi smirked and gently pinched his cheeks.  “Like a cute little baby.”

 

Killua growled and pushed him away. “I’m not a baby!”

 

 “But you look adorable when you’re sleeping, you can’t deny that.” Gon said and grinned at him.

 

Killua crossed his arms and felt his cheeks turning red. There Gon went again with saying embarrassing things and flustering him completely. “Whatever… “He muttered. 

 

His eyes met the clock on the wall and grew bigger. 

 

“Gon, shouldn’t you be home by now?” he asked.

 

“Don’t worry, I called auntie Mito. She said she doesn’t mind if we’re a bit later.” Gon replied.

 

“We still shouldn’t keep her waiting. Come on you two.”

Illumi was already standing in the door, waiting for them.

 

Killua was amazed by how fast his brother moved sometimes. But he was right. He didn’t want Gon to get in trouble just because he fell asleep.

 

The drive to Mito’s apartment was quiet.

Thankfully Illumi drove a lot more slowly this time, much to Killua's relief.

He and Gon both were really tired by now and barely talked.

 

When they arrived they said their goodbyes and Gon promised to call him as soon as he got home from his road trip with aunt Mito.

 

For the way back home Killua had climbed into the front passenger seat.

 

He stared out of the window into the night, looking at the empty streets. Night drives always had this nice eerie feel to them, as if he and everyone in the car were the only people on earth being awake at this hour.

 

The soft hum of the radio let him snap out of his thoughts.

 

He remembered his dream, the terrible loud noise and the bright light. It was all just so weird.

 

He did not recall any day of his life until yesterday, only blurred images which felt completely illusory. He couldn’t get rid of the feeling that everything, all this wasn’t real.

 

“Illumi…” he said as they pulled into the driveway in front of their house. He needed to talk about this with at least somebody.

 

His brother turned off the engine and turned around to him.

“Hm?”

 

Killua sighed. Illumi would probably call him crazy, but he felt as if his blank memory was not to be taken lightly.

 

“I…” he began to speak, but he had no idea how to explain what troubled him.

 

He took a deep breath.

“Can someone lose his memory within one night?” he asked and felt like slapping himself. That sounded so utterly stupid, he couldn’t believe he actually said it.

 

 “Not that I know of. Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

 

Killua could tell his brother was worried. Maybe he shouldn’t have told him after all.

 

“I don’t know, whatever... Maybe I’m just tired.” He said.

 

When he had played that card on Gon this morning, his friend had believed him.

 

But apparently Illumi wasn’t fooled that easily.

“Don’t give me that. You’ve been acting really weird since yesterday. Something is wrong with you.”

 

As he reached out his hand Killua immediately flinched. This gesture felt really familiar and he connected it with something terrible.

 

But Illumi simply placed his palm on his forehead, much to Killua’s surprise. His brother's soft, cold hands on his forehead felt somehow really comfortable, almost calming.

 

 “Hm… it doesn’t look like you have fever. However you should take it easy tomorrow. Maybe stay in bed or at least do nothing too challenging, just in case. I don’t want you to get sick.”

 

Killua looked at his brother, somewhat astonished. Why did such a simple thing as checking someone’s temperature coming from Illumi feel so weird?

 

He knew something was wrong, but he couldn’t tell what it was. This giant hole of uncertainty, this bizarre feeling that didn’t leave him – he felt like crying.

 

Illumi was about to get out of the car, when Killua almost intuitively grabbed his sleeve.

 

“Wait!”

 

His brother raised an eyebrow and slid down onto his seat. “Was there something else you wanted?”

 

Killua felt a bit awkward and looked down onto his knees. He began to twist a thread sticking out of the seam of his pants.

 

“I feel really bad and I don’t know why. Maybe you could just…” he made a pause.

 

“Maybe you could just hug me?”

 

The face his brother pulled then was an expression he felt as if he’d never seen it ever before. But he didn’t say anything and pulled him into a hug.

 

Killua felt strangely comforted. This felt really nice. The weird feeling from before was still there, but his chest felt much lighter.

 

After a while Illumi let go of him. “You should go to bed, Killua. It’s late…”

 

Killua nodded and they went into the house. Killua placed his shoes in the cabinet and washed his hands.

Before he went upstairs, he looked at his brother who was still in the living room.

 

“Aren’t you going to bed?” he asked.

 

Illumi turned around on the sofa and shook his head.

“Not yet. Hisoka has no key and I don’t want that idiot to wake you by ringing the doorbell in the middle of the night.”

 

“I see… When is dad going to come home?”

 

“I don’t know, probably tomorrow around lunch time…”

Killua really wondered what his dad was working as, but he had enough time to find that out tomorrow.

 

As he went up the stairs he wished Illumi a good night and then quickly got ready for bed.

 

He felt as if he usually didn’t go to bed this early. It was only half past eleven, but he felt really tired.

 

Killua closed the curtains in his room and crawled into bed.

 

As he moved around to make himself comfortable he suddenly felt something under his pillow.

 

He had almost jumped out of the bed, but got a grip on himself.

He carefully let his hand slide under the pillow and pulled out a plushed cat.

 

“Alluka…” Killua shook his head in amusement. Then he noticed a scrap of paper that was wrapped around the cat’s tail with a pink bow.

 

He fetched the paper and noticed the writings on it.

“So big bro doesn't feel lonely without Alluka…” Killua felt his heart skip a beat. His sister truly was too precious for this world.

 

He hugged the cat to himself and closed his eyes.

 

Even if things were weird, he still had people who cared about him and tried their best to make him feel better.

 

His brother was probably right. Maybe he was just really tired. Maybe tomorrow everything would be fine again.

 

Killua turned around facing the closed door of his bedroom and tried to sleep. He didn’t notice the cold, glowing light that appeared behind the window.


	3. certainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua's doubts are finally eleminated. But of course living in this world without any side issues would have been to easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well in the end this took me longer than i expected, but it's hard to think when it's hot outside.
> 
> Anyway, i hope you enjoy this one!

“Killua.”

  
The voice was familiar. He opened his eyes and looked around, but there was nothing but darkness.

He stood on black tiled floor which seemed to go on forever, but he couldn’t see the horizon. The void around him felt weird. Maybe he was dreaming.

“Hm… looks like no one’s here. What a weird dream…” He mumbled.

“You have to turn around, big brother.” Now he was sure to whom the voice belonged.

  
Killua swung around and his eyes widened.  
“Nanika?”

  
He was surprised that part of his little sister chose to appear in one of his dreams.

  
Nanika smiled and hugged him.  
“I’m happy Killua is fine!” she said and almost sounded relieved.

  
Killua returned the hug, but was confused. “Why shouldn’t I be?”

  
Nanika’s expression changed to a sad one and she let go of him. “Killua doesn’t remember…the light that brought him here?” she asked.

  
The light that brought him here. Killua remembered his weird dream with the loud hum and the blinding flash. But Nanika was probably talking about something different.  
“I don’t…” he admitted.

  
“I see…” She made a pause. “But that’s fine, because I’m here to help Killua remember! And Killua already remembers me, that’s good!” Nanika said and looked much happier. She made a gesture for him to sit down, which he followed.

  
After he had taken a seat across from her, Killua took another look around. There was no way this place was real.

  
“Before you starts explaining…where are we?” he asked.

  
“We are in a dream. It’s the only way for me to talk to Killua right now.” She answered, looking concerned. “Killua is in big trouble, that’s why I will help you.” With that she placed her hand on his forehead.

  
Suddenly everything became clear in front of his eyes. He remembered he weird light he had been struck by in the woods where he had been travelling with Alluka. But even though he did remember, he had no idea where it had come from.

  
Nanika seemed to feel that and began to explain. “The light that struck you, it came from a bad creature. It tried to steal your Nen-abilities and your life energy. But something went wrong. Before I say more, Killua has to understand that there is more than just one universe. You exist here, but also in the other universe where you and Alluka were walking in the woods.”

  
Killua felt how his head began to ache and he rubbed his temples. “How can I be here, but also somewhere else?”

  
Nanika took his hand. “The attack brought Killua’s consciousness to a different body in another universe. “

  
Killua stared at their hands. “But what about Alluka? The creature could try to hurt her while I’m gone.”

  
Nanika shook her head. “Your Alluka is not alone - Killua is with her and well. You won’t be able to consciously witness how their life continues. From now on you have to life in this world forever. Once your consciousness leaves a body and enters a new one, it can’t be reversed.”

  
This concept was still too hard to grasp for Killua. But he tried to understand what Nanika told him.

  
“So… You are saying… I can live in this place forever as if I’ve always been here. Meanwhile another me is still with the Alluka from my original world?”  
That thought was oddly comforting. Never having to fear his family ever again – those were truly amazing news.

  
Nanika nodded. “Yes.”

  
Killua let out a relieved sigh. “I was worried Alluka and you would be all alone.”

  
“Alluka is fine. But I didn’t come to Killua to just tell him that. The attack that was supposed to take your strength, your abilities, even your life - It brought not only your consciousness into this universe. But it also brought the attacker here.”

  
Suddenly it hit Killua. “The bright light I saw in that dream. That was the creature! That means it has already found me. How am I supposed to defend myself if Nen doesn’t exist in this place?”

  
Before he could panic, Nanika gently pressed his hand. “I scared it away for the moment. It tried to attack Killua first in his dream and then again while you were sleeping. Killua is safe for now."

  
“Wait… you already tried to fight it the first time I saw it in my dream? Then that loud hum I heard…”

  
“That was me.” Nanika admitted.

  
“Please find a different way to scare that thing away the next time. I thought my head was going to explode…”  
Killua laughed half-hearted and rubbed the back of his neck. He had not forgotten the terrible feeling and the headache this dream had brought.

  
Nanika looked sad. “Did I hurt Killua?” she asked and sounded as if she was about to cry.

  
“No. Thank you for saving me, Nanika.” He said and hugged her tightly. How could he be mad at her after she defended him from that thing? She likely saved his life that evening.

Nanika laughed and seemed happy. But when she began to speak the tone of her voice told Killua there still was trouble ahead.  
“Don’t thank me too soon. Sooner or later it will come back for Killua… I’ll try to protect you as long as I can, but you’ll have to fight it one day. It’s inevitable.”

 

“But why is it still interested in me? I can’t use my Nen here! My body here is weak and not used to fighting…”

 

“I know. That’s why you’ll have to train hard for the day the creature comes back… But now it’s time for Killua to wake up.”

 

“Wait! There’s one more thing. How can you be in my dream when Nen doesn’t exist in this world?” Killua asked.

 

“There are some things Killua doesn’t know about me. Things that even I can’t tell you… But don’t worry too much, big brother. For now you deserve some rest. I’ll protect Killua!” Nanika smiled and gave him a last hug.

  
Then he felt as if someone hit him on his head and things went dark again.

 

* * *

  
For the first time he woke up without someone shaking him awake. Killua opened his eyes and saw he was back in his bedroom. The sun had risen already and was shining through the curtains. Birds were singing outside and he heard the busy road in the distance. It was a peaceful morning.

  
But the best thing was that the terrible pressure from yesterday was gone. He felt much better, completely relieved.  
Nanika must have taken all his bad energy with her somehow. If that’s what the hit was for, then he was thankful for it.

  
But he felt hungry. His stomach was empty and gurgled, begging for food. Killua slid out of his bed and rushed downstairs. Today would be a good day, he could feel it.  
In the hallway he almost tripped over Mike who had withdrawn from the heat outside. The dog looked up at him and licked his snout.

  
“Good morning Mike.” Killua gave him a pat on the head.

  
His brother must have heard him, since suddenly he heard Illumi yell from the kitchen. “Don’t let Mike lick you! He tried to eat something gross when I took him for a walk this morning.”

  
Killua immediately pulled his hand back. “Ew. Mike, you’re a big, gross baby!” But Mike didn’t seem to care at all and trotted over to his bowl to drink something.

  
“He doesn’t know what nerves are, huh?” Killua mumbled and went into the kitchen, were Illumi was busy emptying the dishwasher.

When he entered, his brother took a glance at the clock on the wall.

  
“I thought we agreed you would get some rest today.” He said, turning his attention back to the plates.

  
Killua leaned on the kitchen counter next to Illumi and watched him dry the dishes. “I know. But when I woke up this morning, I already felt so much better than yesterday. To be honest I don’t remember the last time I felt this good.”

  
And this was the absolute truth. With the heavy weight lifted from his chest, he had not been feeling this good in a long time.  
Maybe now he could appreciate this world and the second chance he had been given. The chance for a new better life, the life he had always dreamed of.

  
He hugged Illumi who hadn’t expected the sudden outbreak of affection. He almost dropped the glass he had been holding.

  
Illumi gave him an awkward pat on the back. “Hey it’s fine. It’s alright, you hear me?”

  
Killua let go of him and looked at him with an awkward smile. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

  
His brother shook it off. “No need to apologize. I’m just not used to all these awkward sibling hugs lately. When did you become so… cuddly?”

  
Killua shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel like it.”

  
“Well, I’m glad you feel better. Do you want something to eat?” Illumi asked and placed the last glass in the cupboard.

  
Killua heard his stomach rumbling again and nodded. “You have no idea how hungry I am.”

 

* * *

 

Killua couldn’t help but be amazed by his brother’s cooking skills. Maybe it was weird because having someone cook for him was something he still had to get used to.  
“Thanks, big bro! That tastes really good.”

  
A smile crossed Illumi’s face. “Well, I just turned on the stove.” He said jokingly, whereas both laughed.

  
Killua continued to eat while Illumi cleaned the kitchen.

  
It was way too quiet. His siblings and mother were still gone, and his father was still at work. Such a big house designed for a huge family felt almost creepy, now that it was so empty.

  
“Where’s Hisoka?” Killua asked after a while. He hadn’t encountered the man yet today, but it was only a question of time. Sometimes it was as if Hisoka was glued to his brother.

But Illumi just shrugged. “He’s probably still sleeping. A bit weird, since he isn’t the kind of person to sleep in… But he’s a grown man.”

“Hm.”

  
There was the silence again.  
Not that it was a bad thing of course. Yesterday had been much more lively compared to today. But that was only due to Gon and Hisoka who were rather extroverted. Meanwhile he and Illumi weren’t that talkative.

  
“Dad called when you were still asleep. He should be back in twenty minutes.” Illumi noted.

  
“I see. What does dad work as anyway?” Killua asked. That question had been bothering the whole time.

  
“Hmm, don’t you remember? He does something in the real estate business…”  
He made a pause and smirked at Killua whose jaw had just dropped. How on earth did his father end up in the real estate business but managed to stay this ripped?

  
We had planned to ask Illumi more questions about his father. But his brother was still busy cleaning the kitchen. He sighed and brushed his hair behind his ear.  
“Would you mind helping me to tidy up the place a bit before dad comes back home?” he asked.

  
Killua nodded. “Sure thing.” Right now there were just three people in the house, how much of a mess could there be?

  
Apparently the number of people inside the house had no influence on how messy it was. In Milluki’s room there were still empty bags from chips, sweets and whatnot which Killua quickly disposed. Kalluto and Alluka’s rooms were tidy enough, so all he had to do was some dusting.

  
He didn’t dare to enter his parents’ or Illumi’s bedroom. He had no intention of waking up Hisoka or finding things he’d rather not find in his brother’s bedroom.

  
As Killua tried to carry the laundry basket down the stairs he almost tripped over one of Alluka’s plushed animals. How did that thing even get there?

  
After activating the washing machine he looked around and sighed. Without butlers cleaning after him, such a big house was a huge ton of work.

  
He heard a car pull up in the driveway, which was probably his father. Mike jumped up and ran to the front door, barking and wagging his tail in excitement.  
The door was locked open and Silva entered. He looked exhausted, but also relieved to be home.

  
The first thing he did was pat Mike, who kept running around his legs until he got tired of it and went back onto his pillow.

Silva took of his tie. Only now he noticed Killua standing in the hallway. “Good morning son. Still wearing your pyjamas, I see?”

  
Killua looked down. He had completely forgotten to get changed. Well, it was Sunday after all, no one would mind.  
“Yeah… It’s more comfortable.” He said.

  
“I wish I still could spend my Sundays in my pyjamas, but those days are long gone. Where’s your brother?” his father asked.

  
Killua shrugged. He really had no idea where Illumi was right now, but he would show up again sooner or later.

  
“I see. When you see him, tell him I’m back.” His father said and went up the stairs, to get out of his suit presumably.

  
It felt really weird to see his father walking around in fancy suits. But better a suit wearing father than one with blood on his hands.

  
Soon Illumi came back from swiping the garage and sat down in the living room. Killua grabbed some candy and went to join his brother on the sofa.

  
“Dad’s back.”

  
“Thank you. I actually heard his car, but I was too lazy to run all the way back in just to say hi.”

  
Illumi looked up at the ceiling. “It’s really weird that Hisoka is still sleeping. But maybe he needs it - for whatever reasons.”

  
Suddenly Mike ran past them to greet Silva who just came back down the stairs.

  
“Why is your friend is still asleep, son?” He asked when he sat down in the chair next to the sofa.

  
Illumi had begun to type something on his phone and just mumbled “I dunno.”

  
“Hm.”

  
His father and Illumi weren’t the most talkative people in the world. That had become clear in the past two days already. 

  
Illumi was probably closer with their mother. Considering her engaging personality that was somehow unavoidable. But despite that, Illumi seemed to take more after her anyhow.

  
“It’s awfully quiet without your mother around.” Silva noted after a while.

  
“I’ll remind you of your words when she’s back again.” Illumi said and for a moment Killua swore there was a smirk on his brother’s lips.

  
Silva let out some air, which Killua assumed was his kind of laughing. “I was not complaining. I’m looking forward to two peaceful weeks without any drama. Although I have no intention of spending these weeks with doing nothing. We should do something today.”

  
“Then let’s do one of these… father-son-days? Is that how they’re called?” Illumi finally put away his phone and looked up.

  
“Sounds good. The last time we did something together without your mother was when Killua could barely walk. I doubt you remember that.” Silva said and looked at Killua.  
Killua shook his head. “Nope, I don’t remember. Where did we go?”

  
Illumi shrugged. “I forgot it. But dad probably still remembers.”

  
His father spent long time thinking about where they had gone. But he finally seemed to remember.

  
“It wasn’t really a father-son-activity. But it was one of the few times your mother wasn’t around. We went for a walk in the dunes around the beach house. And after that we never went for a hike again. I still remember both of you complaining about having sand in your shoes.”

  
Killua grinned slightly. “Maybe then we shouldn’t go for a hike today.”

  
“Not in with that heat outside… ruins my hair each time.” Illumi noted.

  
“True…” Silva nodded in agreement and brushed his hair back into place.

  
His brother and father weren’t going to make a decision based on what would ruin their hair least, were they?

  
“Well, Killua. What do children like you like to do for fun these days, huh?” his father asked.

  
Killua had a hard time trying not to laugh about that wording. He did appreciate that they were asking him for his opinion however. Though he had no idea what they could do.  
“Uhm… I don’t know…” he admitted.

  
Suddenly Illumi jumped up. “Hold on, I just remembered something.”

  
His brother left the room, leaving both Killua and his father expecting whatnot. Soon Illumi entered the living room throwing a book towards his father who catched it without even blinking.

  
“The Dentora region – sights and other things you should see. Is that the book your mother bought for her parents but then forgot to give it to them?” Silva asked, browsing through the pages, seemingly interested in the book.

  
“It is. Remember when you talked about that restaurant that opened next to the national park with the rock shaped like a potato? Take a look at page 23. It’s just 15 minutes away. We should drive there.” Illumi said.

  
Killua raised an eyebrow. What was so great about a rock?  
But his father seemed to share his brother’s interest in that thing.  
  
“Ah yes, the rock. I forgot that thing existed… “He made a pause.

  
“Before your mother and I got married we went there for a trip. She dared me to climb on top of that thing, which I did. I stayed on there long enough for a couple of pictures. But then the park’s security came and threw us out.” He sighed. “Good old times.”

  
“Then let’s drive there. You can climb back on the rock and we can take another picture for mom.” Illumi said.

  
Silva laughed. “I doubt it’ll be accessible. From what I’ve heard, after I went up there, they put a fence around it.”

  
Now Killua was sold on the trip as well. “Who cares? Then we’ll break in!”

  
“You heard the kid, dad. We go take a look at the rock, then we eat something in that restaurant. It’s decided.” Illumi stated.

  
Silva raised his hands. “Looks like I’m outvoted. I’d say Killua gets dressed and we’re off.”

 

* * *

  
  
Who’d thought that looking at a rock could be this interesting? Killua certainly didn’t. But he was proven wrong.

  
He was surprised that spending time with Illumi and his father could be so much fun. He had expected them to barely talk to each other during the whole trip. But as soon as they had entered the car both of them had turned out to be quite outgoing.

  
Silva had looked back on past times, telling stories about the adventures their mother and he had went on back in the days. Killua could have listened to him forever. This was a side of his father he had never expected to see.

  
As much as Killua had wanted him to, his father did not climb on the rock a second time. The park security hadn’t just put a simple fence around it - it was an electric one.  
As if one person could destroy a stupid rock by just climbing on it…

  
But the national park of Dentora region itself was also really nice. Not that Killua got see as much as he wanted to. After one of the security guards had recognized their father, they had left quickly. But it didn’t matter, since the trip to the restaurant had been great as well.

  
Especially because his father had let Killua eat three whole desserts. Those were also the only things he ate at the restaurant. When he got up he felt as if he couldn’t even walk properly anymore.

  
But during the drive home the stuffed feeling had turned into more of a sickness.  
“Maybe three desserts were too much after all, huh?” Illumi had asked, but Killua had replied that he didn’t regret anything.

  
It was almost dinner time when they came back home. It would still take a while for the sun to set, but there already was this calm summer evening atmosphere which Killua loved.

  
While Silva parked the car, Illumi and Killua entered the house.  
Killua had expected them to be greeted by Hisoka throwing himself at Illumi. But that wasn’t the case. The house felt completely empty, if it hadn’t been for Mike who slept in the hallway.

  
“That’s unexpected…”Illumi muttered. He seemed a bit worried, but it was hard to tell.

  
It hadn’t taken Killua long to figure out his brother’s emotions. He was more expressive in general, but it was still hard to read his mood by his expressions. Unlike in the other world, it was the tone of his voice that gave his brother’s feelings away.

  
“Hisoka, we’re back!” Illumi shouted. But there was no response.

  
Killua looked up at his brother. “Maybe he went out?”

  
Illumi shook his head. “Not likely, the van’s still there. What the hell…” he went to look in the kitchen.  
“Hisoka!”

  
Finally there was a response, but the muffled groan that came from upstairs wasn’t exactly a good one. Killua went to get Illumi.

  
“Big bro.” he tugged at his sleeve. “Hisoka’s still upstairs.”

  
“Thanks. That idiot better has a good excuse for staying in bed all day.” Illumi sighed and went up the stairs.

  
It would have been a lie to say Killua wasn’t curious. He decided to sneak after his brother and create his own picture of what was up with Hisoka. Even if this place was different, it just didn’t fit his image to be this lazy.

  
Illumi stood in front of the bed, hands on the hips, clearly not happy with the man in front of him.  
“Still in bed, huh?” he asked with a hint of annoyance.

  
Hisoka groaned, eyes closed and not moving an inch. He really didn’t look too good.

  
Illumi tilted his head and moved closer towards the man. “You sound weird. Are you feeling alright?”

  
Hisoka slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, with a look on his face that could scare a grown man. Huge dark circles under his eyes that were only highlighted by his pale skin.

  
With a hoarse voice he began to speak. “I don’t feel so good-” But before he could say more, he was cut off by Illumi.

  
“You have a cold. Since when do you know?” he asked.

  
“Since this morning, but I was too tired to tell you.” Hisoka really sounded terrible.

  
Killua could sense some dangerous aura coming from his brother, who furiously began to twist a lock of his hair. But the reply sounded oddly calm, though his brother seemed still angry.

  
“Do you know how much I’d love to hit you right now? You really are an idiot. If you had told me earlier, you could be fine by now.” He said with a cold expression, clearly reproaching the man for his mistakes.

  
“I’m sorry.“ Hisoka said and sounded so utterly miserable, the tension coming from Illumi soon faded away and he sighed. He couldn’t stay mad at the pitiful sight in front of him.

  
“Fine… I’ll go get the medicine. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.” Illumi turned on his heels and stepped out of his bedroom.  
He didn’t seem surprised to meet Killua there. Instead he just massaged his temples.  
  
“Can you put the kettle on while I look for the medicine?” he asked.

  
“Sure.”

  
Killua went to cook some tea, while his brother went to fetch the medicine.  
He placed the mug on the bedside table, while Illumi tried to take Hisoka’s temperature.

  
Although Hisoka was sick, it didn’t stop him from being… himself. He observed the thermometer and cracked a tired grin.  
“I hope this is one of those thermometers you don’t stick in your mouth but your-“

  
A clear hit from Illumi onto his chest stopped him from saying more.

  
Hisoka was struck by a cough attack, though it was more laughing than actual coughing. “That was a completely appropriate question!”

  
“You are never appropriate… and don’t say stuff like that when Killua is around.” Illumi said and stuffed the thermometer into the man’s mouth.

  
Hisoka had to clear his throat, which seemed truly painful after that coughing attack,  
But the smug grin which appeared on his face told Killua he didn’t feel too bad after all.  
“Oh, I see. Maybe Killua should leave us alone for a while, so I can be as inappropriate with you as I want to be…”

  
For that he was rewarded with another hit from Illumi, this time right on his head.

  
“Ow! You’ll knock me out if you keep doing that.”

  
Illumi payed no attention to him and took the thermometer out of his mouth. After reading the temperature, he said “Maybe that would be for the best. Now stop acting like an idiot, you’ll only make it worse.”

  
Finally the man managed to control himself. And after Hisoka had barely choked down the medicine, Illumi made a move to leave. But he was stopped by Hisoka.  
“Don’t leave me already.”

  
Illumi rolled his eyes, but sat down next to him on the bed.

  
Hisoka let out a deep sigh and added a little cough, before he began to speak in an overly dramatic matter. “Illumi… if I die…” He took his hand. “Know that you were always my one true love.”

  
Illumi was about to hit Hisoka again, but decided a pillow in the face was a more gentle option.  
“You have a common cold, no one dies from that.”

  
“I don’t remember the last time I felt so sick… “Hisoka groaned and held his head. He really wasn’t used to headaches or being sick at all.

  
Illumi gently pinched his arm. “Well you are sick, but you will survive - like every other person that has a cold.”

  
Hisoka pouted. “Scolding me won’t help.”  
  
Killua made a move to leave. Those two could continue their conversation very well without him.

 

  
He went down the stairs to get something to eat for dinner and joined his father on the couch to watch TV. But after a while he got tired and went back upstairs to get changed back into his pyjamas.

  
Before we went to bed he noticed the blinking light coming from his phone. A new message, huh? Of course it was from Gon.

  
“ _Are you feeling better today?_ ” Killua read out the message and smiled slightly. How sweet of him.  
He began to type.

  
“ _Much better, thank you…_ ”

  
He couldn’t decide whether to add something else or not but Gon took the decision for him.  
By the speed he replied, Killua assumed he had already been waiting for him to respond.

  
It took Gon a bit longer to type the reply, but finally Killua received the new message.

  
“ _I’m glad to hear that_.” Gon apparently loved to add emojis, since he had used six different one’s in a row here. “ _I can’t wait to see you again, sleep well and good night._ ” followed by a bunch of heart emojis and a smooching smiley.

  
Killua shook his head and smiled. He typed the final response before he made himself comfortable in his bed. “ _Good night, sleep well_.” He was about to add a heart as well, but that didn’t feel like him at all, so he just used a regular smiling emoji.

  
He wasn’t going to write something which might be held against him in the future. He tried to find a comfortable position and yawned.

  
The weird vision from last night already felt like it had been nothing but a dream after all. Killua decided to put Nanika’s warnings aside. Somewhere deep inside his mind where he wouldn’t trip over them anytime soon.  
He was safe right now and that was all that mattered to him when he drifted into sleep.

  
The only thing he did not think about was for how long this tranquility would last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest I had something more dramatic in mind when I started writing this fic, but Killua deserves some happiness. I can't torture the poor kid like that. 
> 
> Thanks to my plot bunnies i found a good solution with a healthy amount of drama, but I'll also keep throwing in some happy family-fun and friendship chapters before and while he's faced with the unknown force of evil. Killua deserves some family-bonding anyhow.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to update soon.


	4. a day with aniki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua spends a day with his brother...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sibling-bonding yeay! this chapter took me painfully long for some reason, but the next update will probably be a little faster.

Summer vacations were great. Not doing anything meaningful all day, sitting around… Killua could get used to this.   
But at the same time not doing anything could be incredibly boring. After five days of not doing anything, he felt weary and unmotivated.   
Something had to be done.  
  
There were no other kids he would bother playing with around here and Gon was visiting his father apparently, which had been quite the surprise. It looked like his father here didn’t abandon Gon when he had been still a child.   
If only Alluka or Kalluto were here as well… there were some things they could do together. But they weren’t here, so he had to come up with something himself.  
He heard Hisoka and Illumi talking upstairs.   
  
In the past days Hisoka had been sick and stayed in bed the whole time. But telling by the way his voice sounded, he seemed to feel a lot better.   
  
Hisoka came down the stairs, but turned around to say something to Illumi who was still upstairs.  
  
“That’s what you get for making fun of me while I was sick.” He yelled up the stairs.  
  
Killua heard a muffled “Go to hell!” and came to the conclusion that his brother was the one who was sick now. He must have contracted the cold from Hisoka somehow.  
  
Hisoka chuckled as Illumi appeared on the stairs as well, with his blanket wrapped around him.  
  
“How dare you. I took care of you while you were sick, you ungrateful- …” He growled but didn’t finish as he noticed Killua was listening.  
  
Illumi’s voice sounded even worse than Hisoka’s when he had been sick. The dark circles under his eyes, the messy hair – he looked like a ghost from a horror movie. Like the one that crawled out of peoples’ TV.  
  
Hisoka put on that special smile of his. “I was only joking. I appreciate you being my nurse for the past days.” He said and winked.  
  
“It is probably you who is at fault I got sick. Remember that night when I said “don’t come any closer, you’ll infect me”?” Illumi replied, completely ignoring the playful gesture.  
  
Killua didn’t get what his brother was talking about. But suddenly it hit him and he dug his head into the pillow.  
  
“Please spare me the details!”  
  
“Sorry, Kil… But it’s not what you think it is.”  
  
Hisoka laughed. “Oh it was exactly what you think it was. Once I’m in the mood it’s difficult to hold back.”   
  
Illumi sighed, too tired to bother with the man. “It was just a kiss, stop making it sound like god knows what.”  
  
“I know. But you look just too cute when you’re annoyed.”   
  
That was relieving to hear. But Killua still had no interest of hearing more about what happened between the two while they were sharing a bed.  
Hisoka chuckled and made a move to leave.  
  
“I’m off to work. You should get back to bed, get some rest.” He said and smiled, but Illumi was still annoyed and turned away without any comment.  
  
“No goodbye kiss for me, it seems… Sweet dreams anyhow, snow white~.” Hisoka pursed his lips into a smug grin.   
  
But Illumi let out an annoyed groan and disappeared in his room again. Hisoka shrugged and left.  
  
Their relationship had to be the weirdest Killua had ever seen. Were they dating now or not? Maybe he could find that out sometime.  
  
Killua was left downstairs all by himself, which brought him back to his struggle of finding something he could do today.  
  
It looked like he was going to spend another day with doing nothing productive after all.  
  
He turned on the TV and laid down on the couch. So boring….   
  
How could people watch shows all day in which a housewife kept crying about her apparently too boring husband on live TV while the host had to try his hardest to keep a straight face? He could basically feel his brain cells dying as he watched.  
  
After a while he had enough and switched the channel to a cooking show, which was not as embarrassing but just as boring.  
  
He sighed and checked the other channels. Watching TV in the morning was a pain in the-  
  
If he had heard it correctly, Illumi just called for him. Killua decided to check for his brother and turned off the TV.  
  
As expected, Illumi was still lying in his bedroom which was completely dark. Killua peeked deeper into the darkness, trying to make out where exactly his brother was lying.  
  
“Did you call me, big bro?” he asked.  
  
He heard bedsheets rustling, probably Illumi turning around.  
  
“Thank god, you heard me.” Illumi said, though it was more a kind of whispering. “I think I’m losing my voice.” He coughed, but covered his mouth with the bed linen quickly.  
  
“That’s not hard to tell. You sound terrible. Do you want to go to the doctor or something?” Killua asked.   
Illumi’s usually gentle voice was now hoarse and sounded everything but pleasant.   
  
“No, I’ll be fine… why did I call you again…?”  
  
“You didn’t tell me yet.”  
The fever seemed to leave its traces on his brother. Somehow it was funny to see him like this, forgetful and completely tired.  
  
“Ah, I just remembered. Could you go to the pharmacy and get more medicine? The packaging should be somewhere here, wait a second.”   
  
Killua’s eyes slowly got used to the darkness and he saw his brother rustling through the drawer of the bedside table.   
  
“There, I need another one of these.” He said and handed Killua the empty box.  
  
Killua nodded. “Understood. “ It looked like he found something to do after all.  
  
After Illumi lied back down, Killua went downstairs and looked for the envelope with money his brother had told him about. It should be somewhere on the key shelf behind one of the framed pictures.   
  
His mother appeared to be that kind of mother who was obsessed with taking pictures of her children. There were so many photos shoved onto the shelf, it was nearly a miracle they all fit on there. Baby pictures, family holiday- and Christmas pictures. But his favorite photo had to be the one with his father, probably as a teenager, who was about to fall off a ladder while he was painting a wall.  
  
Killua grinned and carefully took the picture down the shelf. Of course the envelope with money was behind that one.  
  
“I’m off then!”   
  
No response. Killua drew the conclusion his brother was asleep again and went out with a shrug.  
  


* * *

  
  
It wasn’t as hot today as it was the previous days. Quite the contrary, it was almost chilly. But Killua was too lazy to go back to fetch his jacket.   
  
On his way to the pharmacy he finally had the time to observe the neighborhood a bit closer. There was a calm and welcoming atmosphere to it. It felt like a cozy world which could not be shaken by all the bad things happening in the world.  
  
Killua was deep in his thoughts, when he heard someone calling his name.  
  
“Killua!”  
  
He swung around and looked into a pair of eyes that looked all too familiar.   
  
“Canary?”   
  
Canary was the last person he had expected to meet here.  
  
“How are you doing? Enjoying the weather?” she asked and smiled.  
  
Killua unconsciously took a step back. “Uhm… I’m fine. What are you doing here?”  
  
Canary’s expression told him she was sort of offended by that question.  
  
“We’ve been neighbors for 8 years. Don’t tell me you forgot that.” She said, eyes growing wider due to surprise.  
  
Killua bit his lip and felt like slapping himself. That had not been suspicious at all.   
  
“Of course I didn’t forget.” he laughed awkwardly. “I just expected you to be on vacation or something… I mean it’s the summer holidays after all, right?” He said and rubbed his neck.  
  
Apparently Canary bought his story, since she put on a smile again.  
  
“Ah, I see. It’s sad we don’t get too see each other that often anymore, now that Kalluto is in school as well. I miss babysitting at your house.“ She laughed.  
  
Canary had been babysitting at their place? Killua had assumed his mother had been taking care of them herself. Perhaps Canary had taken care of them when his mother and father had gone out together?  
But what did it matter anyway.  
  
“Well, I wish you a nice day. I have to hurry if I want to meet Amane on time.”  
  
“Amane, huh?”   
  
“Yeah, we’re going to the mall. She still needs some new clothes for the beach and if I don’t push her, she’s never going to buy any.” Canary said and grinned.   
  
She took a look at her phone and made a face. “Looks like I’ll be late after all… Well, see you around!” With that she ran off, waving at him.  
  
Killua waved back and looked after her. It was nice to know Canary had a happy life here as well.  
  
He hurried to the pharmacy to get the medicine. It didn’t take long and after fifteen minutes he was already back in his street.  
  
When he got back home, he expected Illumi to be still in his bed. But he was proven wrong.  
  
As he entered the hallway, his brother was on the sofa watching TV. He still looked sick.  
  
“I’m home.” Killua said while taking off his shoes.   
  
Illumi lowered the volume and turned around on the sofa.   
  
“Did you get everything?”  
  
Killua nodded and handed him the package.   
  
“When I tried to get down the stairs I almost fell, so thank you for going for me.” Illumi said as he took a look at the inscription on the package.  
  
“No problem.” Killua replied and sat down next to him on the sofa.  
  
He couldn’t hear the people on TV because the volume was still too low. But apparently his brother was watching a soap playing in a hospital.   
  
The woman who was speaking right now seemed to be a surgeon and the man lying in the bed next to her seemed to be connected to her somehow. The surgeon was crying while the man held her hand – all overly dramatic.  
  
Killua leaned back. “So… you’re into stuff like that?”  
  
Illumi shook his head.   
  
“I’m not exactly into it. I used to watch that show with mother all the time, but when I moved out I stopped watching it. Looks like Kalluto became her new opera-victim. She’s probably watching right now as well, thank god she’s not here.”  
  
Killua laughed. He could perfectly imagine their mother sitting in front of the TV, with Kalluto next to her holding a box of tissues.  
  
He had no idea how he ended up watching the entire episode with Illumi, but it was funny. None of them took the whole thing serious and commenting on the whole thing was hilarious.   
  
After the credits ended and the commercial break began, Illumi looked everything but pleased.   
  
“I can’t believe the surgery failed. Dr Lee is supposed the best surgeon in the entire state. But of course when she has to perform a brain surgery on her fiancé she fails and he dies. Now I remember why I stopped watching this garbage.”  
  
Killua laughed. “Is it normal that at least one person dies within each episode?”  
  
“Usually at least three people die, but this was already tragic enough so I guess they made an exception. It’s stupid anyhow…” he coughed and held his head. “Ugh, the headache’s coming back.”  
  
“Maybe you should go back to bed?” Killua suggested, but Illumi denied.  
  
“This morning was already boring enough, lying in my room all alone… I can spend my day on the couch just as well.”  
  
Killua didn’t say anything, but secretly was glad that he had someone to talk to.   
  
It had been difficult to get used to his brother here without being prejudiced. Which was completely reasonable after everything Illumi had done to him back in the world he came from.   
  
Each time he had looked into his eyes here he had remembered the way his legs had been shaking when he had tried to control him.  
It was unforgivable, but Killua was able to differentiate between Illumi and his brother here.   
  
Illumi here was himself somehow – but he respected Killua, just as well as he seemed to love Alluka for who she was. He also seemed like a softie beneath that aloof façade, not that being soft was a bad thing. It actually made him even more loveable.  
  
Killua looked over to Illumi who had fallen asleep by now and tried not to laugh. His brother here also didn’t sleep with his eyes open and saved him from a horrifying sigh.  
Illumi looked peaceful while he was sleeping, almost like a little child.   
Killua understood his mother’s urge to constantly pinch them in the cheeks.  
  
This world was so comfortable, it almost hurt. But there had been something, something he had been worried about. But what was it again?  
  
Killua racked his brain as he tried to remember what had been troubling him.  
  
Something was wrong after all… something… something?   
“Of course… Nanika!”  
  
He remembered Nanika’s warning. The light that was the reason he was here…   
  
Nanika had sent the attacker – whatever that thing was – away for now. But he would be back, if he had understood her correctly.  
  
Killua couldn’t help but wonder how he would be able to defend himself with this weak body.  
  
“There’s no way I can fit twelve years of training into a few months, or even weeks…” He rubbed his neck. “I’m totally screwed!”  
  
It wasn’t that he didn’t remember his training, but with this body all his knowledge was no use.   
  
But there had to be a way to get at least a bit stronger. He wondered if a knife would be enough… but he couldn’t run around the house with some kitchen knife in his pocket.  
  
Killua wished he could talk to Nanika again. He had no other idea how to help himself otherwise.  
  
But how did they talk again… Nanika had appeared in his dream, if he remembered it correctly.  
  
“A dream, huh…?”  
  
Maybe he could reach her in a dream again.  
  
Killua lied down on the couch. But falling asleep in the middle of the day was harder than he thought. He tried to calm himself down, but he was too awake.   
  
“Come on!” he growled, but after a while he give up, at least for the moment.   
  
He stared at the ceiling for a long time, probably for half an hour.   
  
Killua heard the ticking of the clock on the wall and his brother’s even, silent breaths.  
  
Eventually he fell asleep.   
  


 

* * *

 

  
He was in a dark hallway, but it looked different from before.   
  
There were giant plush animals leaning on the huge walls left and right to him. It felt almost creepy to stare into their soulless eyes.  
  
“Nanika?” he asked into the darkness.   
  
“Killua? Killua, where are you?” he heard her voice coming through one of the walls.  
  
He pressed his ear against it.   
  
“I’m here, on the other side of the wall.”  
  
He heard Nanika moving towards him, followed by a knock.  
  
“Here?”  
  
“Yes, I’m right here. What are these walls doing here? Can’t you tear them down?” he asked.  
  
“No, I can’t.” Nanika replied, sounding rather sad.  
  
“But this is just a dream. Surely it can’t be that hard…”  
  
“That has nothing to do with those walls. The connection between me and you is getting weaker. The gap between our universes is growing larger as we speak.” She said.  
  
Killua gulped. That meant sooner or later he wouldn’t be able to talk to Nanika anymore. It also meant he would never be able to return to the universe he came from.  
  
He let out a deep sigh. That was a lot to swallow right now.  
  
“I see.” He mumbled after a while. If their connection was being weakened, he had to make every second they had left count.  
  
“Nanika, I have still some things I need to ask.”  
  
“Then you should ask them now, big brother.”  
  
Killua sat down on the floor, his ear still pressed against the wall.  
  
“I… I have no idea how I’m going to defend myself from that light-thing once it comes back. I really don’t know what to do…”  
  
“If only I could use Nen again.” He muttered.  
  
Nanika seemed to understand. She kept quiet for a moment, probably thinking about a response.  
  
“You cannot use Nen in this world. There are far more limitations than where Killua comes from. But there is something else… something you can use. But you have to find it yourself.” She made a pause.   
“It’s an ancient power that lies within every human in this world. But only few can actually use it.”   
  
“What is that power, where can I find it?” Killua asked.   
Those were some kind of good news.  
  
“It is somewhere inside of you. But you can’t just find it, it must be unlocked somehow.”  
  
“But how am I supposed to do that?”  
  
“I… I must admit I do not know that. I’m sorry. I wish I could help Killua.” Nanika confessed.   
  
Killua sighed. “Maybe I’ll be able to find it myself… Thank you, Nanika. Take care.”  
  
“I will, but Killua is the one who should be careful. I lost the sign of that attacker not long ago.” Nanika said, sounding rather worried.  
  
Killua’s eyes widened. “What?” He could feel fear growing inside of him. “He could be everywhere then! He could be trying to kill me as we’re talking.”  
  
“He won’t, he’s still weakened and has to gather his strength. I lost him, but I am certain what he is.” Nanika denied.  
  
Those were still bad news. “Then what is he?”  
  
He heard Nanika gulping and shifting in her position. After a while she finally spoke again.   
  
“It’s a demon, Killua… A demon that has been absorbing Nen of other people for centuries. When both of your energies collided, the collision brought you here – just as well as him. He holds you responsible for it. That’s why he wants revenge.”  
  
Killua felt a cold shiver running down his spine. “A demon?”  
“He is not a simple Nen user that is why he is still a threat for you even in this place… But he is weakened. “  
  
Killua felt panicked. “Who cares if he’s weak, I can’t even defend myself! What do I do?”   
  
He clenched his fist. A demon… that thing was partly responsible for him being here, but it was also his own fault that the demon came to this world with him. An ancient being that lost most of its powers because of him, after gathering those for centuries on top of that. – No wonder that thing wanted him dead.  
  
He took a deep breath and felt his fear disappear. He wouldn’t allow that thing to hurt anyone here.  
  
“I have to remember the training. I have to find that power and then I will kick that demon back to hell!”   
  
“I know you can do it, big brother. I know you can…” She said. Killua could almost hear the slight smile with which she spoke.  
  
Suddenly he felt the floor shifting and the ceiling began to crack.   
Killua jumped up, looking around with haste.   
  
“What’s happening?”   
  
“The connection is getting too weak. Killua has to wake up!”   
  
Killua felt the ground under his feet softened. A hole opened up underneath him, dragging him into the darkness.

 

* * *

  
  
Killua woke up with a scream and a loud thump. He groaned. His back hurt like hell.  
  
“Killua, what happened?”   
  
Killua looked up and saw Illumi on the sofa looking down on him. Apparently he had fallen off the couch and landed directly on the remote. That thing had sharp edges.  
  
He gritted his teeth at the remote and threw it onto the coffee table.   
“Stupid remote…” he mumbled and held his back.   
  
Illumi was still waiting for an answer, judging by the way he tilted his head.   
  
Killua sighed. “I’m fine, sorry for waking you up.”   
  
“It’s alright… did you have a bad dream or something?” he asked.  
  
Killua climbed back onto the sofa. “No, I must have slipped over the edge while turning… No big deal.”  
  
His brother obviously doubted that statement.   
  
But after he had inspected him closely for a while, he just turned towards the TV again.   
“If you say so… ”  
  
His eyes fell onto his phone lying on the table.   
  
“Looks like Hisoka called… the next time he better texts me like a normal person. Do you want something special for dinner? I’ll ask him to bring something home for dinner.”   
  
“Maybe a pizza… I don’t care.”   
  
“Fine, I’ll text him then.”   
  
Killua got up to get something to drink from the kitchen. And again he almost tripped over Mike who lied next to the fridge.   
He bend down to rub the dog’s belly. “All you do is eat and sleep, huh?” he said and smiled slightly.   
  
If only he could be this laid-back…   
  
Just when he wanted to enjoy this new life, of course some insane demon had ruin everything.   
  
Killua clenched his fists. There was no way he’d let that thing hurt any member of his family or one of his friends. This second chance had been a gift which he would treasure. He was not going to let that demon take it from him.   
  
He would try his hardest to unlock that power Nanika spoke of, starting today… or maybe tomorrow. It was already getting dark outside and he was way too tired to work out now.   
Despite that he also had no idea how exactly he would find the key to that power. But he would figure something out. At least he hoped so.  
  
“Killua, could you bring me a glass of water?” Illumi yelled half coughed from the living room.  
  
“Sure!” Killua gulped down his own glass of water and fetched a clean one from the cupboard.   
He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went back to the living room.   
  
“Feeling better already?” he asked as he handed the glass and the bottle to his brother.  
  
Illumi shrugged. “A bit, I guess. I can’t afford to be sick for such a long time, but I also think the medicine is working already. Food will be there in about an hour.”  
  
“Good.” Killua said and sat down next to him again.  
  
After a while he turned to his brother. There was still a question preying on his mind.   
“Illumi… can I ask you something?”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“What is your relationship with Hisoka exactly…?” Killua almost didn’t dare to ask, but he really wanted to know at the same time.  
  
Illumi’s eyes widened slightly and he looked up at the ceiling for a moment.   
“Well… I’d say we’re friends with benefits…though sometimes I’m not sure myself.” He answered and leaned back.  
  
Killua began twisting his lips with his fingers. “But he’s always flirting with you.” Not to speak of the way he looked at his brother sometimes…  
  
Illumi shrugged. “He’s like that with everyone. It’s just who he is.”  
  
“I see…” Killua muttered. That answer wasn’t pleasing, especially because he felt like that wasn’t the whole truth.   
Hisoka’s glances had been more than obvious. It was hard to imagine he had no feelings for Illumi at all.   
  
When Killua looked back at his brother, he swore there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Hisoka is not the type for relationships anyway.” He said after a while and smiled at Killua.   
“Why did you ask?”  
  
“There was no reason, I was just curious.” Killua admitted.   
Now he kind of wanted to know Hisoka’s perspective on the topic. But there was no serious answer to expect from the man.   
  
  
“No one acts that way around someone who is just a friend… Even if he’s not in love, there has to be something between the two of them… Maybe something even Illumi doesn’t know about.” Killua thought.  
  
But that had to wait for now, there were other things he had to worry about.   
  
Tomorrow he would start to train… somehow. But he could figure that out after he had dinner. Thinking with an empty stomach wasn’t going to help anyhow.   
All he knew for know was that this demon needed to be taken care of as soon as somehow possible. He didn’t know that he would get that chance sooner than he thought.


	5. a day with Gon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua spends a day with Gon and finds out that some things are in fact a little different in this world between Gon and his father, but also between Gon and himself - not like that would be a bad thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me forever for some reason. I recently moved and the wifi isn't working yet, so I had a hard time uploading this chapter. Then there were some problems with my beta reader and I did not receive the message with her corrections... but it's already been such a long time since the last update and I couldn't wait any longer.
> 
> So please overlook some minor mistakes, as you might remember english is not my first language.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and I promise the next one will be uploaded soon!

It was almost past ten in the morning, but Killua was still half asleep. He had spent the last days working out. He had probably looked like a lunatic to Illumi, running around and lifting heavy stuff in the summer’s heat.

But he didn’t care what everyone else thought of him. He had to get into shape somehow, if he wanted to be able to face that demon one day. If he couldn’t find that secret power within time, it would still be good if he was physically strong enough to take on that thing.

Too bad that in this world Killua apparently had never bothered to do something beyond P.E. in school. Thanks to that he was able to feel every single sore muscle of his body. Even turning around in bed was a painful act.

“Curse the lazy Killua of this world…” he grumbled and dug his head into the pillow.

Sometime later the doorbell rang and he heard two people who began talking downstairs. One of them was Illumi, his voice was easy to recognize. Soft and easy going, somewhat gentle. But Killua was unable to figure out to whom the other voice belonged. The second person sounded excited and kept talking really fast.

But he was still too tired and simply turned around, slowly drifting back into sleep. Who would come to his family’s house this early… It probably was just a salesman or a neighbour picking up a package.

Killua should have known better. On second thought, there was only one person who that voice could belong to. If only he hadn’t been so tired…

It felt like only seconds had passed, but suddenly he was woken up sharply.

 Someone barged into his room, yelling his name and jumped onto his bed with such force that both of them fell down onto the floor.

“Killua!”

“Ow.” He felt each muscle aching and tried to realize what had just happened. His eyes met two huge brown orbs staring at him directly.

“Guess who just came back!”

Finally Killua realized who had dragged him to the floor.

“Gon!”

As happy Killua was to see him, he would get some serious payback for waking him up so violently later.

Gon grinned and hugged him tightly, almost choking Killua.

“I can’t breathe!” he gasped, as he tried to break free.

Gon immediately let go off him and laughed kind of embarrassed. “Sorry…”

Killua sat up. Although he felt like pinching him, he just pinched him gently. “You’ve got some nerves to wake me up like that. “

Gon pouted slightly. “I’m just happy to see you again…Didn’t you miss me?”

“Of course I missed you…” Killua muttered and felt his cheeks turning red. “Now get off of me and let me get dressed properly!”

“Aye!”

Gon rolled off of him and sat back up. He looked around the room curiously while Killua got dressed quickly.

Something seemed to have caught Gon’s attention. He pulled out an old toy from underneath the bed.

“Is that the old chocorobo plushie from six years ago?” he asked.

Killua had no idea he even owned a chocorobo plushie. Why someone would release a plushed toy from a kind of candy was beyond him. Of course it was the most delicious candy there was, but still – candy should be eaten, not cuddled.

 “I guess it is.”

Gon kept toying around with the plushie without taking his eyes off of it. “I still remember the cute face you made when you opened that present. No one else on your birthday party was able to top such an awesome gift anyhow.” He said and laughed.

Killua turned around. “My birthday party?” 

Gon had said something about the toy being from six years ago, had he not? _“Wait…that means I know Gon since I’m six years old.”_ He thought.

A bright grin appeared on Gon’s face. “Yeah, your sixth birthday was one of the funniest I’ve ever been to! Though I do not remember your fourth and much of your fifth one…” he admitted.

Killua’s eyes widened. “My fourth birthday…” That meant he knew Gon since they had been in kindergarten.

“Yeah, I still have the pictures somewhere in the depths of my wardrobe. Though I doubt I’ll ever find them in that mess…” Gon stuck out his tongue.

Killua smiled slightly. “Doesn’t Mito clean your room anymore?”

Gon laughed sheepishly. “Well about that… The last time she got so mad at me for leaving such a mess that she said she’d never clean my room ever again… Now I have to keep it tidy myself. At least I try.”

That sounded like aunt Mito indeed. Well, having to clean his room by himself wouldn’t hurt Gon. But there was something else he wanted to know about. Something he really had to make sure.

“Gon, how was the time at… your dad’s?” he asked carefully.

Gon looked up and put the toy away.

“Huh? Ah you mean how my visit was. It was fun. It’s a bit sad he has to work so far away now… but he has a cleaning lady so I don’t have to clean up my room by myself.” He said and laughed, but he soon noticed Killua’s sorrowful look.

Now even when Gon had a father who actually cared about him, he didn’t get to see him longer than a few days? That wasn’t fair at all.

“What do you mean he has to work far away?” Killua asked.

Gon was confused for a moment. “Didn’t I tell you already? You know, before I was born my dad went on a lot of adventures. He was one of the most famous archaeologists in the world! When I was younger he used to take me with him. But after some years he decided to stop with the adventures because he felt like I should be able to live a normal life. We moved back into grandma’s old farmhouse and he rarely went on expeditions.”

Now that sounded much more pleasing. Killua was glad his father stepped back for Gon, but that still didn’t explain why he was gone after all.

Gon continued with the story. “Despite being an archaeologist, he also was a college professor. Four years ago he was offered a job in the capital and he took it… Sometimes he comes back, but he’s really occupied lately. But it doesn’t matter; I still have Mito after all!”

Killua still doubted Gon was completely okay with it, but his bright smile was enough of a confirmation for him.

“I see…”

“Well, now that you’re dressed, why don’t we go outside and do something fun!” Gon declared and jumped up to his feet.

“Is that why you threw me out of my bed?” Killua asked.

Gon grinned and grabbed his wrist. “But of course!” Without further explanation he dragged Killua out of his room and down the stairs.

Killua was surprised how fast Gon managed to slip into his shoes. It took him a little longer - apparently a bit too long for Gon who kept hopping around, waiting for him.

Illumi, who had been busy with folding laundry – his brother really seemed like the born housewife sometimes - handed him a bag and about 2 thousand jenny.

“I heard you two are hitting the mall today?” he asked, sounding rather cheerful. He still had been sick for the last days, but he seemed to have recovered completely by now.

Killua gave Gon a confused look. “We’re going to the mall?” _No please don’t._ There were better ways to spend the day than shuffling through a crowd of people in that heat.

But Gon smiled brightly. “Yes! The new ice cream shop finally opened, I really want to check it out.”

Killua tied his shoelaces and took a last glance at the mirror to check if his hair was alright. Gon, who was still hopping around impatiently, began to pull on his shirt.

“Ugh, come on! I really want to go now!” he groaned.

Killua laughed. How impatient Gon could be sometimes… “Alright, I’m ready.”

Gon sighed. “Finally!”

“Have fun you two!” was the last thing Killua heard when he was dragged out of the door.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t as hot today, almost ironical when he thought about how he had trained in the heat of the previous days.  But at least he could actually enjoy the day with Gon, without sweating like crazy or even getting a heat stroke.

Killua was still surprised by how small the town actually was. Perhaps the huge buildings and the billboards let it appear much bigger than it actually was.

It took them barely twenty minutes to reach the huge shopping centre. With the heat gone, they hadn’t been the only ones with the idea to go to the mall. The parking lot was basically flooded with vehicles.

Killua wasn’t too fond of passing through the crowd of people swarming the shopping centre. Gon however seemed to be just as excited as he had been before.

He sighed.  “That ice cream shop better be amazing. If I get stepped on my feet for nothing, I’ll be really pissed.”  That came out sounding more serious than he had intended to. He could never be really mad at Gon for trying to spend some time with him.

Thankfully Gon didn’t take it seriously at all. “It’s going to be amazing, trust me! Leorio talked about nothing else the last time we spoke, so it must be really good.” he declared while forming a huge grin.

They made their way to the entrance. Although there were plenty of people, it didn’t feel as crowded as expected.

Killua looked around. Above them was the huge glassy dome which flooded the hallways with a pleasant light. It was accentuated by the shiny white walls, which let the whole centre appear much more elegant that it actually was. Now the 2 thousand jenny seemed more than appropriate, considering how fancy this place appeared.

 Gon took a look at the map next to the entrance.

“Alright, it’s on the second floor. Let’s go!”

As they walked towards the escalator, suddenly Gon did something unexpected. He took Killua’s hand and kept going, as if it was completely normal.

Killua felt a shiver run down his spine. Not that he was uncomfortable with it… but what the hell was Gon thinking, holding his hand in front of all these people?

Killua gently pulled his hand away and he could basically feel his head turning red.

Gon looked at him, somewhat confused. “What’s wrong?”

“U-uh…” Killua started, but went silent instantly.  How should he explain that to him…?

Gon looked at his own hand. “Was my hand sweaty? If so, I’m super sorry.” He said and laughed embarrassed.

“No… that’s not it, it was fine! Uh, I mean… there was nothing wrong with your hands…” God, this was so weird. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t liked it, not at all… But what was Gon thinking?!

“Why were we holding hands…?” Killua mumbled, facing the ground to hide his pink cheeks as good as it was possible.

Gon tilted his head, looking even more confused. “Huh? What’s so weird about it?”

“You want to know what’s weird about it? It’s… it gives people weird ideas.”  Killua felt like sinking into the floor.

“Hmm… But we held hands before.”

“What? But… but that’s what couples do!”

Gon gave him a weird look. “Huh? Then is being boyfriends something different than I thought?”

Killua probably looked like a crab right now. He could feel his blood pumping in his head.

 “Boyfriends?”

_How? Why? When the hell did they become boyfriends??_

“Yeah.” Gon nodded.

So then was this just a casual trip to the mall or …

“Is this supposed to be… a date then?” Killua asked.

Now it was Gon who blushed, even if it was only slightly. He rubbed his neck and laughed. “Well, looks like you caught me. I was a bit too embarrassed to ask you officially out… still feels a bit weird in front of your family and everything…”

Killua lowered his head. Now this was something he had to process for now.

 

* * *

 

Gon took another slurp from his shake and looked back at Killua. “And you’re really sure you didn’t hit your head or something?” he asked.

Killua kept playing with his spoon by stirring the melted ice cream in his bowl. “No, I didn’t hit my head. My head is perfectly fine.”

There was still some suspicion left in his friend’s eyes and he earned another observing look from him. 

“I was just wondering… There are a lot of things you don’t remember lately. How else would you forget about us…?” Suddenly Gon’s eyes widened. “Maybe you did hit your head and then forgot that too!”

Killua rolled his eyes. “Gon, for the last time: I did not hit my head! If something like that would have happened, you can bet that at least my mother would have informed me.”

“Hm… that’s true. Kikyo-san is a caring mother after all. Maybe sometimes too caring…” Another slurp from the straw followed and the glass was finally empty.

Killua sighed. There was no way he would let Gon get involved with the whole demon- and ‘finding some weird ancient power’ - thing.  “It’s difficult to explain… I just don’t remember some things lately.”

“Oh, maybe it’s because of puberty? Mito always blames puberty when she feels like I’m acting weird.” Gon mentioned.

“Acting weird as in not cleaning your room anymore?” he asked and grinned slightly.

Gon pouted. “At least I have no trouble finding my things. After I’m done with cleaning, I can’t remember where I put everything…” he mumbled and took a sip from the straw again, although this time there was no milkshake left to reach his mouth.

It was a relief that Gon changed the topic and kept talking about his trip to his father’s place. Maybe the puberty explanation had been enough to erase his suspicion.

Talking about his problems to someone would have been relieving, but Killua didn’t feel like risking anyone’s safety. At least not right now.

Gon was busy pouring sugar into his empty glass, much to the waitress’s dislike, judging by the glare she shot at him. But it didn’t seem to bother Gon at all.

Killua put down his spoon and began to speak. “Anything special you and my brother talked about this morning? I heard you two speaking, but I couldn’t make out what you were saying.”

Gon stopped the pouring and raised his head. “Huh? Oh, we were just talking about today and some stuff… Illumi was sick some days ago, right? He still sounds a bit groggy, if you ask me…”

“You think so? Then you should have seen him three days ago. Today he already looked much better to me.” Killua replied.

“Hm… but he should avoid hard work for a while, or he might get sick again.” Gon mumbled.

“Oh, is that so? I thought Leorio was the aspiring doctor.”

Gon rubbed his neck and stuck out his tongue. “Well, that was just what my intention told me.”

“Well, then maybe we should keep Hisoka away from him. I get that they’re friends – or whatever kind of weird relationship they have, but he sure as hell wasn’t any help to Illumi’s recovery…”

It was true. Though Hisoka’s intentions had not been bad ones, he still kept dancing around his older brother and had teased him constantly. Well, at least that was how he had acted when Killua was around. Maybe he had been taking at least a bit care of Illumi when Killua had been outside, training. The whole act was probably his way of ‘caring’ about a person, who knew…

It felt odd how much he suddenly cared for his oldest brother.  After everything the Nen-user Illumi had done to him, that guy could crawl into a bush and die for all he cared.

But his brother here was… well, he was a completely different person. For Killua it was still difficult just as well as odd to accept that he actually liked Illumi. But it became easier each day and if he had to be honest, he wouldn’t trade his brother here – not for all money in the world.

“Killua?”

Gon pulled Killua out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“Did you have a daydream or something?” Gon asked, happily stirring the sugar in his glass.

“Yeah… Now, shall we get moving?”

They got up to look around the mall for a bit, but soon they got bored. There was nothing interesting about all these clothes shops. Illumi and Hisoka would have had a blast – Killua had seen his brother’s wardrobe and that thing was bigger than the one of his mother’s. As to Hisoka, he wore a different outfit everyday – each one flashier than the last one. If that was what made him happy, though Killua couldn’t get behind his concept. He had heard of birds with colourful feathers to attract a mating partner, but it couldn’t be said for sure if Hisoka was going for the same thing.

It was a mall and of course all kind of people went there. However Killua was surprised when his eyes met two familiar ones.

“Hey, aren’t you one of the Zoldyck kids?”

It took Killua only a second to recognize him. The blonde hair, the bright green eyes and the almost childlike face - That guy was, without a doubt a member of the phantom troupe.

What was his name again… it had been something similar to Shark.

Shark… Shal… Shalnark!

“You!” Killua almost automatically jumped back, pulling Gon behind him as well.

“Killua, what’s wrong?” Gon asked, but Killua was too tensed to answer.

“We have no business with you. Just let us go!” he hissed.

The man gave him a questioning look, but didn’t move any closer towards them.

“Ah, you two are playing a game?” he asked. “I used to do stuff like that as well when I was your age. Pretending to be a space ranger fighting against aliens and stuff like that, I get it.”

There was nothing Killua hated as much as not being taken seriously. He felt almost offended. “We’re not playing and this is not a game!”

“Huh? Then why the weird act? It’s not like I’m not going to eat you or anything.”

The guy was obviously toying around with them. Killua furrowed.

But Shalnark still kept smiling. “Well, if you see your brother tell him I said hi.”

“Which one?”

“Illumi… that was his name, right?”

“You know my brother?”

“Yes, from school. Though it’s been some time I saw him. Used to hang around with the boss- uh, I mean Chrollo and Machi sometimes.”

Killua raised an eyebrow. “School?”

Illumi used to hang around with the spiders? How odd, he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to get involved with shady people. Maybe they weren’t so shady in this world. At least that was what Killua hoped for.

“Yep. But I should get going; I still have to buy a new memory card. Have fun you two!” he said and just left Killua with his thoughts.

Gon took him aside. “Killua, what was that? I get that you forget some things, but you’re starting to scare me. Why do you act so weird?”

“Uh… I…” How was he going to explain that Shalnark was part of a group of thieves and murderers in the place where he originally came from before being beamed here by some kind of demon?

“I thought… uhm…” Killua finally thought of an explanation. “I mistook him for a creepy guy from our street. They have the same haircut.” He said and laughed.

“Huh?” Gon looked at him as if he doubted that was the truth, but again he believed him. “Ah… do you mean the owner of the run-down house at the end of your street? That place sure is creepy.” he mumbled.

Killua just nodded. “Yeah, right? Let’s get going, I want to look around a bit more.”

 

* * *

 

He and Gon had spent some more time at the mall, before they went home. Hisoka was gone, so was Illumi – he was probably at work. What Hisoka was doing on the other hand was a mystery to him.

Later that day Mito had come by to pick Gon up, leaving Killua all by himself. He wasn’t completely alone, Mike was there as well. The dog kept running around the lower floor, barking at the neighbours’ cat that kept looking through the windows.

It was already getting dark and Killua’s stomach began to gurgle much loader with each minute that passed, when finally Illumi came home. He was followed by Hisoka who threw a pack of cards on the table next to the door. Taking a closer look, he looked quite unhappy.

Illumi turned around. “Don’t tell me you’re pouting now. I just said you’re terrible at card tricks. It’s nothing to get offended about.”

“Your choice of words can be really hurtful sometimes. I don’t go around and tell you how awful your clothes look, do I?”

“That’s because all my clothes look good on me. Now stop acting like a child and get over it. You have other talents besides magic tricks.”

Hisoka grinned and leaned over to Illumi. “True. For example, I’m a marvellous kisser~”

But before he had the chance to prove it, he was pushed away by Illumi, leaving Hisoka almost offended.

Killua tried not to laugh, but Hisoka’s expression was just too funny. While the man went upstairs, probably to get changed, Illumi came into the living room and set down next to Killua.

“Did you and Gon have fun today?” he asked and reached for the remote to turn on the TV. But it didn’t lie on the coffee table, nor was it on the sofa. Illumi leaned over to look at the ground and under the sofa, but it wasn’t there as well. He sighed and leaned back against the pillows.

Killua stretched and kicked some of the pillows off the couch. “Yeah, it was great.”

Illumi looked pleased and nodded. “That’s good to hear.” He said and made a pause. After a while he added with a slight grin: “You two are just too adorable together.”

Killua could feel his cheeks turning red. He pouted and threw a pillow at him.  “I’m not adorable! I’m not a little kid anymore….”

Illumi caught the pillow and threw it back much more gently. “Yes you are and until you grow taller than me, you’ll always be my cute little baby brother.” He said and pinched Killua’s cheeks. “See? You’re still squishy.”

Killua bumped his head against his brother’s arm. “Why do you have to be so mean?” he mumbled.

Illumi laughed and ruffled through his hair. “Only because I love you, little bro. If you would excuse me now, I really need to find that remote.”

His brother was somewhere in the dining room, when the phone rang. But Illumi didn’t seem to hear it, so Killua decided to take the call.

It was his mother, announcing they would return earlier.

She almost sounded hysterical when she spoke. “Kalluto caught the flu and grandmother is afraid of getting infected as well. My poor little baby! We’ll come home tomorrow; please don’t forget to tell your father!”

Killua kept answering with a hum the whole time, not that he had a chance to reply with anything else. But then his mother began asking him how he had been, if Hisoka was still there and if he was behaving. She also asked if Illumi was feeling better again and if the plants were being watered properly.

Finally he managed to assure her that everything was fine and ended the call. His mother sure felt talkative tonight; maybe she was just missing the rest of the family.

It would be nice to have his other siblings back in the house, though Kalluto would need some rest. But Alluka would make the house much livelier and he really looked forward to seeing her again.

After a rather unspectacular dinner – Illumi was too tired to cook something and Hisoka was forbidden from using the kitchen, so they ordered something again – Killua went to his room.

While he was lying on his bed, he thought about his day with Gon. Just thinking about holding hands with him made him blush and he had to cover his face.

“ _He doesn’t get embarrassed about anything, does he…?”_

The new course their relationship had taken here was something he had to get used to. He still cared for Gon of course; there was no doubt in that. But after he and Gon had said their goodbyes and he had started to travel around with Alluka… It really was something he had to get used to.

Their relationship here was still somewhat pure, there didn’t seem to be anything bad between them. That made the whole thing easier, but Killua still remembered what had happened between the two of them in the other world.

But things here were different. Perhaps he should see this as a second chance for him and Gon.  If he could get used to Illumi not being a complete lunatic, he could get used to giving their friendship a second try. Well, maybe more than just friendship.

Just thinking about it made him feel embarrassed, although it made him incredibly happy at the same time.

Killua quickly shook off the thought and turned off the lights. He looked out of the window into the night sky.  As much as he wanted to protect his family, he would try even harder to keep Gon save. There was no way he would allow him to get involved with the whole demon story.


	6. the Kurtas and the stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua visits Kurapika together with Gon and Leorio in the Kurta village, where he finds something strange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I was going to update this fic once a week? That was before I had any idea how long writing the chapters would take me... I'm really sorry about that, but I have so many ideas for this fic which i need to sort and put into some kind of order somehow. So updating this fic will take its time. I dont want to just write something because I have to update the fic, I want to write something good as well.  
> Anyway, i hope you'll enjoy this chapter and hopefully the next one will be done a little faster. I'll try my best!

When his mother had announced she would return with his siblings earlier, Killua had expected them not to arrive until noon. From what he remembered it was a four hour car drive from here to his grandparents – the one’s he had never met in the other world.

Knowing of their existence here made him wonder why his mother never invited them over to Kukuroo Mountain, or take him and his siblings to them with the helicopter… Who knew if they even were alive in the other world?

Whatever the truth, he had not expected his mother to suddenly barge into his room at ten in the morning, quickly followed by Alluka.

“Good morning, Killua!” She chirped, almost too cheerful.

Alluka jumped on his bed - she really had to stop doing that - and began to bounce around on the mattress.

“We’re back, big bro!”

Killua groaned and dug his face into the pillow.

“I can see that…”

Alluka stopped hopping on his bed and sat down next to him.

“The time at grandma’s and grandpa’s was great, but I really missed you! But grandma bought me cute new dresses! Do you want to see them?” She asked and grinned at him.

“I’ll look at them if you let me get up first.”

Kikyo drew the curtains and opened the window.

“Then get up right now, Killua. Today is such a beautiful day, there’s no time to waste by staying in bed.” She declared and picked up some of his old toys that were still lying around on the floor.

Would there ever be a day he could spend with sleeping until noon? Apparently not with his family and friends around.

Killua sighed and got up to get dressed. Once he was done, he went downstairs into the kitchen, where his father was drinking his coffee. It seemed this was the first time that Silva didn’t have to leave for work early in the morning.

His father nodded at him when Killua entered the kitchen.

“I tried to stop your mother, but you know how she is.” He said and smiled slightly.

Killua let himself fall into a chair and yawned.

“Why did she come home this early?” he asked.

His father shrugged. “She said she didn’t want to get stuck in traffic jam. However, I think she just couldn’t wait to see you and Illumi again. You can be glad she just came to wake you up, your brother was almost hugged to death this morning.”

“I’m just glad Alluka and Kalluto are back… Well, I also kind of missed mom, I guess.” Killua mumbled and grabbed one of the cookies that were placed in the middle of the table.

His father nodded in agreement. “So I am. I just feel sorry for Illumi’s friend. Hisoka, was it? Your mother really hates the poor guy with a passion.”

“Do you hate him too?” Killua asked.

“Why would I? I’m glad Illumi has friends at all.” Silva replied and took another sip from his coffee.

Killua wiped the cookie crumbs off his mouth. “But I thought he was pretty popular back in school, at least from what I’ve heard.”

Silva laughed. “That would be some news."

He took another sip from his mug. “Your brother isn’t the most social person, although he tends to get along with almost everyone. He’s always been like that. Back when he was in preschool the ladies there called a lot because they were worried about him not being able to socialize at all. But your brother is smart and knows very well how to socialize with people. He just doesn’t seem to like being too close to others.”

“Hm… So Hisoka is very lucky then.” Killua concluded. “How did those two even become friends?”

“I don’t know. Illumi never brought anyone home from school and never really talked about school at all. But I doubt they met in class. It’s none of my business anyway.”

Suddenly Silva tilted his head slightly and looked at someone who apparently stood behind Killua. “It looks like there’s someone waiting for you.”

Killua turned around and faced a smiling Alluka.

“Come on, I’ll show you my new dresses!”

 

* * *

 

Although it was a bit exhausting to observe at all of Alluka’s new dresses, Killua was happy for how happy his sister was.

It was wonderful to see everyone in the family support her, help her pick and buy cute girly clothes and accept her the way she was. She deserved to be treated like a little princess from time to time and it filled Killua with joy to see her smile so genuine.

“Look, big bro!”

He turned his head. Alluka stood in the doorway with another cute dress, light ballerina shoes and huge bows in her hair.

“What do you think?”

“You look really cute in it, I like it.”

Although Killua had said almost the same thing about the previous dresses, Alluka still seemed to be happy about his answer and made a spin towards the couch.

“I’m so happy you like it too, big bro!”

Suddenly her face turned from excitement to a rather sad expression.

“But I forgot to bring you a present. Kalluto and I got a lot of things from grandma, but I forgot to pick something for you and Illumi…”

Killua got up and hugged her.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy you’re back home, that’s enough of a present for me.” He said.

Alluka’s eyes lit up and she smiled brightly.

“That’s relieving to hear! But…” she began to twist a lock of her hair. “There was something I was supposed to tell you… Uh, well Gon called a while ago, that he wanted to pick you up to go somewhere… But I forgot what exactly it was about... I’m so sorry!”

Killua laughed. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll find out sooner or later.”

Before they got to exchange more words, they were cut off by the front door flying open.

“Hisoka, this is getting ridiculous. You’re coming into the house with me – right now.”

It sounded as if Illumi was having a hard time convincing Hisoka to enter the house while Kikyo was around.

But he could see the man’s point – Although his mother was really affectionate towards her children, she seemed to love to pick on other people a lot. Now that he thought about it she reminded him of one of the housewives from that TV show he watched that one morning. Caring about her looks, how others thought about her and her family and of course she never missed a chance to make a rude remark, that didn’t sound like one at first, every once in a while.

“No, I’d rather live in the apartment while it’s under construction.”

Killua heard Illumi groan. “The vapors of the paint are unhealthy and the air conditioner is not working right now. You can choose between getting cooked alive or living in the same house as my mother.”

“Fine.”

A moment later Illumi and Hisoka appeared in the hallway, although Hisoka still didn’t seem too happy about the situation.

His expression darkened even more when Kikyo came around the corner and almost violently hugged Illumi. Judging by the pained look his brother made, he had not seen that coming.

“Aah, there you are, my Illu-baby! Mommy missed you so much!”

Illumi groaned and managed to shove her away.

“Mother, for the love of… Please don’t call me that ever again. It’s embarrassing.”

Hisoka was about to laugh, but managed to turn it into a nose exhale.

Kikyo sighed and gave her oldest son another, clearly unwanted kiss. “You’ll have to deal with it, sweetie.”

After cuddling Alluka and Killua as well, she disappeared somewhere in the upper part of the house.

Hisoka seemed surprised that she hadn’t even made another rude remark about him yet. Perhaps she was too busy with being happy about being reunited with her family.

The man turned to Illumi with a smirk. “Illu-baby, huh? How about we make that your new sexy pet name?” he purred.

“If you call me that again, I’ll shave off your hair while you’re asleep.”

Hisoka chuckled. “I’d prefer to keep my hair.”

“Good. Have you found the documents for later? I don't want to ask those bank people for a credit fully unprepared.”

Killua watched their conversation continue and once again he wondered why these two were even friends. From what it looked like Illumi seemed to low-key hate Hisoka, but at the same time he liked him a lot.

“ _Well, they’re both weird in their own ways…”_ he thought. That was the only plausible reason they managed to stay friends.

 

* * *

 

After a rather uneventful morning, Killua now found himself sitting in a bus with Gon and Leorio. Sometime after lunch, they had shown up at the front door and Gon had declared they were going to visit Kurapika.

Not that Killua had anything against it, but he would have preferred to train during the afternoon. He couldn’t fight that demon with friendship or good intentions. If that thing was even still around.

On one hand he was glad he had not encountered the demon yet, but on the other hand his anxiety became worse each day. He managed to calm himself down by distracting himself with other things, but still… in the back of his mind was always the thought of having to fight against that monster one day.

And he wasn’t ready to face that thing yet.

But now he was on his way to spend another afternoon with Gon, but also Leorio and Kurapika. It wouldn’t hurt to have some more fun before he was faced with such a heavy challenge.

Killua leaned over to Gon who was looking out of the window.

“Hey. Sooo… what are we going to do once we’re at Kurapika’s?” he asked.

Gon turned his head and looked at Killua. “Huh? Well, we’re going to visit him and his friend Pairo. He invited us over for dinner too! I’m already looking forward to it…” He said and grinned sheepishly.

“Is the food all you care about?” Killua asked and pinched Gon’s arm.

“No, but Kurapika’s mother makes the best food in the world! … Well right after Mito of course, so Ms Kurta’s food is the second best in the world.”

Killua leaned back into his seat. Dinner sounded not bad. But wasn’t it weird that there was a bus that drove past the Kurta village? From his home world he remembered that the Kurta village had been in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thick woods.

He was even more confused when they excited the bus at a bus station called “Kurta village”.

“What the hell…” he mumbled under his breath. What they saw within the valley that lay across the street did not look like a village. It reminded him of a suburban neighborhood. Could this really be where the Kurta clan lived? It was hard to imagine.

“Gon, Leorio! Killua!”

It was Kurapika who waved at them from the driveway across the bus station. Killua had not even noticed he had been there the whole time.

“Kurapika! Hold on a second, we’re coming!”

Gon waved back at the blonde and crossed the street, followed by Leorio. .Killua quickly went after them.

“I’m glad you found your way here. I was worried you would take the wrong bus again.” Kurapika said and laughed.

Leorio looked away and pouted. “That just happened one time. You don’t have to bring it up every time we come here.”

Kurapika gave him a soft punch and smiled. “Well, I’m glad you made it here. Come on, Pairo and my parents are waiting already.”

Within short time Killua found out that in order to keep up their heritage the Kurta clan decided to go with the time and went to live in more stable houses, in their own little suburban village near the town.

When Kurapika led them towards his family’s house they passed a large plaza that looked the way Killua had imagined the original Kurta village to look like. The plaza was covered with hand build houses that served as shops and in the middle were large tree stumps with engravings in them.

“These shops are mostly for the tourists that come here.” Kurapika had explained, when Killua had asked if this was where everyone went to go to do their grocery shopping.

But something at the plaza was especially interesting to Killua. One of the engraved tree stumps seemed to embrace some kind stone. It looked blue and was shining brightly. Kurapika continued to lead the way to his family's house with Gon and Leorio following him. None of them seemed to notice the light emerging from that stone.

Killua knew it wasn't a good idea to touch randomly glowing gemstones in mythical tree stumps, but he felt as if he was supposed to reach out for it. As if the stone was calling for him. The closer his hand came to the stone, the warmer the air around it felt. But when he finally touched it, it was completely cold. A second later he felt the warmth from before running through his veins. A blinding light emerged from the stone. Killua opened his eyes again and suddenly stood about a meter away from the tree stump.

The light was gone and his hand felt empty. He took a closer look at the stump again.

“What the hell...?” He could have sworn that the stone had been there just a few moments ago. But it was gone.

“Weird.”

Killua heard Gon call for him and turned around. Gon kept waving at him while Leorio and Kurapika seemed to wait.

Maybe he had been daydreaming... It had to be like that. He shook his head and hurried to catch up with the others. After everything that had happened it was hard to tell if things were real or just daydreams. It was hard to focus for him here sometimes and other times Killua just spaced out completely. What had just happened must have been one of those times. That was convincing enough for him right now.

Finally they arrived at the front porch of Kurapika’s family’s house. It was not exactly huge, but it looked comfortable and elegant. It reminded him of one of the minimalistic houses he had seen in one of his mother’s magazines once.

When they entered they were greeted with a hug and a warm smile from a woman who seemed like Kurapika’s mother. The similarities were remarkable. She as well had blonde hair and huge eyes. She had a warm smile and the atmosphere around her felt welcoming and kind.

“Welcome. I’m glad you could come today.” She said with a voice even more gentle than Killua had expected.

“It’s Gon! And Killua is there too!” A young boy with brown hair appeared in the hallway next to Kurapika’s mother.

Kurapika ruffled through his hair. “Just like I said, Pairo.”

Leorio frowned. “I’m taller than all of you, how come you didn’t see me.”

Pairo’s eyes widened and he smiled. “And Mr Doctor came too!”

“Mr Doctor?” Leorio looked at Kurapika in confusion who just laughed. “Listen, Pairo. My name is Leorio. Le-o-ri-o!” he explained.

“Ah, I’m sorry Mr Lorio.”

Leorio sighed and mumbled “It’s Le-orio…well, never mind. It’s really friendly you invited us over, Ms Kurta.” He said.

Kurapika’s mother laughed and waved it off. “No need to thank me, you’re always welcome here. After you’ve taken off your shoes you can make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’ve prepared some tea and cake.”

It was a nice afternoon. Kurapika seemed to have a really close relationship with his mother, since she sat with them most of the time. She was a kind woman and understanding too.

Leorio took a sip from his cup of tea and placed it on the wooden coffee table.

“How are your eyes doing, Pairo?” he asked.

“They’re working just fine.” Pairo replied happily and smiled.

Ms Kurta nodded. “They have indeed gotten a lot better since the surgery. Now Pairo is even able to practice playing the harp with me, isn’t that true?”

“Yes, I’m really good already!” the boy declared as if he was really proud of his achievements.

Kurapika laughed. “Well, now all you have to do is hit the right tones.”

Pairo frowned. “Hey I’m not tone deaf… I just need more practice…”

“I was just joking, you’re really good already. I wish I was that talented.” Kurapika replied and gave his friend a pat on the shoulder.

Leorio seemed glad and took another bite of his cake. “I’m glad the surgery was successful… But wasn’t it expensive?

Kurapika leaned back in his seat. “Well, it was. But we already paid back all the installments. As annoying as all the tourists are that come here, they are to thank for our clan’s prosperity…”

“That’s true. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have been able to afford the eye surgery for Pairo – or to maintain our traditional lifestyle as well. A lot of what you’ve seen in the plaza is just for show, like those huge wooden bungalows. But even if a lot of it is used to entertain the tourists, our traditions are kept alive.”

Gon seemed really interested into the things Ms Kurta told them about the Kurta clan. He didn’t take his eyes off of her for a minute.

Killua tilted his head and had to smile at the way Gon’s eyes shimmered in the sunlight. He was really cute when he was so invested in something.

He quickly noticed Kurapika’s observing glance and looked away with a pout. Kurapika covered his mouth to hide a grin, but it was obvious what he was thinking.

Killua could feel his cheeks turning red. Although he slowly got used to the thought of being in a relationship with Gon, he still felt embarrassed about it sometimes.

Kurapika finally managed to hide his smile and cleared his throat. “Mother, do you know when father will come home?”

Mrs Kurta took a look at the clock hanging over the fire place. “He still has to work until 6… It will take a little longer today, since he has to meet up with his colleagues.”

Gon seemed interested in Mr Kurta’s business. “What does your father work as, Kurapika?”

Kurapika leaned back on the sofa. “Did I never tell you that? … well, he works as a salesman in the city.”

Mrs Kurta laughed. “It’s still hard for me to get used to it. When we were younger he always spoke about how he would never work in the city, but look at him now.”

“Well, could you imagine father working in one of the tourist shops?” Kurapika asked.

Mrs Kurta nodded her head slightly and took another sip of tea. “You’re right, dear. He used to be one of the clan’s best hunters when he was your age. But when the government wanted us to take part in modern life… he suddenly became really interested in economics and all this new technology… and now he’s selling it as well.”

Kurapika tried not to laugh. “If you would invest some time into this ‘new technology’, perhaps you could manage to reply to my messages.”

Mrs Kurta sighed. “No thank you. I don’t care if it is annoying for you, but phone calls are still the only way of communicating with you and your father for me. It’s already complicated enough with these tiny technical devices.”

Kurapika grinned slightly. “They’re called cellphones.”

“Call them whatever you want, I will never get used to them. Back when I was your age, we would use woodcarvings or letters.”

“But you’re not having any problems with your new cellphone, are you, Mrs Kurta?” Leorio asked.

Mrs Kurta gave him a warm smile. “Not at all, I’m really grateful you helped me get such an easy model.”

Leorio rubbed his neck and blushed slightly. “It was nothing, really.” He mumbled with a grin on his face.

They carried on with the conversation a little longer, until Mrs Kurta left with Pairo to bring him home. From then on they spend the rest of the afternoon together planning their time at the beach house.

It was still a mystery to Killua why his family’s vacation residence was on the beach and not somewhere in the mountains. His father seemed more like the hiking type. Well, his family could definitely use the sun; they were all so terribly pale.

Gon placed his phone on the table and shoved it towards Kurapika and Leorio who were sitting on the other side.

“Here, look at this.”

Kurapika leaned forward to get a better look of the image displayed on the screen. “A Ferris wheel?”

Gon shook his head. “Not just a Ferris wheel, look at what’s in the background.”

“That is obviously a theme park.” Leorio said and shoved up his glasses.

“Yes, Heaven’s Park!”

Killua raised an eyebrow. “Like Heaven’s Arena?”

Gon gave him a puzzled look. “Huh? Wasn’t that the wrestling show that was on TV for some time? The one that was canceled after someone actually died? ”

“Uh… you know what, actually don’t mind.” Killua gulped. What kind of show was so brutal that someone would die on stage? - Even without Hisoka being part of it…

Gon continued. “Well, Heaven’s Park is the most amazing theme park in the entire region. I always wanted to go there ever since I was a little child.”

Killua laughed. “Technically, you are still a child Gon.”

Gon stuck out his tongue. “So are you! And I what I meant was that I wanted to go there since I was 5. But my dad doesn’t like theme parks at all and aunt Mito can’t handle rides very well… But this year I want to finally make it there.”

Killua leaned back. “Sure. I don’t mind, we can take the bus. I doubt my brother would drive us there as well.”

“So your brother really doesn’t like fun, huh?” Leorio asked. “I only met him for a short time the last time we visited you, but he seems rather serious… about everything.”

Before Killua even got to reply, Gon began to speak. “I think you’ll have to warm up to him first. I’ve known Illumi since I met Killua in kindergarten, and he’s really funny. But when he was younger he was more talkative, right Killua?”

That was hard for him to say, after all Killua only knew his brother here since barely two weeks.

“Uhm… I guess? That’s just who he is… it takes him a little longer to open up – if he does at all. If Illumi doesn’t like you or doesn’t like you a lot, he’ll probably just ignore you.” The unfortunate girl from the pool popped up in Killua’s head. He really felt sorry for her that she still had a crush on his brother. But on the other hand it was almost funny that Illumi just forgot people he didn’t interact with after a while. It probably left more space for more important things to remember.

Leorio shrugged. “If you say so... But could we get over with planning the schedule already? I still need to study today.”

“Then why did you agree to come here in the first place, if you're so busy?” Kurapika asked. He almost seemed offended that Leorio intended to leave soon.

“Because I wanted to visit you today, instead of spending the day with my books and notes, alright? But I need to at least take a look at them tonight. I hope you don't mind.”

Kurapika sighed. “No, it's fine.” He smiled and looked back up at Leorio. “I'll get to see all of you for two whole weeks soon, so your early leave today won't be the end of the world. But at least give me a call when you get home and don't forget to drink something while studying.”

“Yeah... whatever.”Leorio blushed and rubbed his neck. “You sound like my mother already.” he mumbled under his breath, while Kurapika laughed.

Killua raised an eyebrow. Kurapika sure seemed to care about Leorio a lot. How very interesting. But he had no more time to deal with these thoughts, since Gon and Leorio already made their move to leave.

Kurapika accompanied them to the bus station and waited with them until the bus arrived.

It was already getting dark outside when they drove back. Gon showed Leorio the pictures from the week he had spend with his father which Killua had seen already.

He looked out of the window. The town they lived in in was surrounded by tiny villages similar to the one of the Kurta clan. After a large row of never ending fields the suburbs began, but judging by how long the bus drive took, the Zoldycks lived closer towards the center of the town.

This time Leorio and Gon didn't exit the bus together with Killua. They said their goodbyes before Killua got out, Leorio nodding at him, while Gon gave him a hug that seemed to last forever.

Standing on the sidewalk, Killua waved back at Gon who waved at him from inside the bus while mouthing something Killua couldn't make out. Although it looked like a 'see you soon', Gon would probably text him later this evening anyway.

Before he had even reached the front door, he was already greeted by Mike who came running towards him. Killua petted his head and dashed to the door, trying to outrun the dog. But Mike was unbeatable.

Killua sighed and cowered down next to him. „Looks like I still have some training to do...“

Before he could ring the doorbell, Alluka almost teared open the door “Killua is home!” and jumped into his arms. Maybe one day he would get used to this quirk his sister had developed here.

“Yeah, I'm back. Did you miss me that much?” Killua asked and laughed as he ruffled through his sister's hair.

Alluka smiled at him and hugged him once more. “Yes, I did! Let's go inside, dinner is almost ready.”

The first thing Killua noticed when he entered the hallway was his older brother's expression. He looked far from happy, but Killua had no idea what was wrong with him.

When Alluka went upstairs to get dressed – wearing a sweater for dinner instead of a dress seemed better for someone who easily blotted themselves – Killua went to sit next to his brother of the sofa.

“Had fun with your friends today?” Illumi asked without turning away from the TV.

Killua leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “Yeah, it was fun. Mrs Kurta makes really great cake.” He couldn't see his brother's face but he heard the nose exhale which he took as a from of laughter.

“Just don't let mom hear that. She might challenge her in a bake off.”

“She probably would.” Killua replied and had to grin. But his smile faded a bit when he noticed Illumi's mood changed back to a rather unhappy one. He didn't want to rub salt in the wounds, not at all, but he wanted to know what was bothering his brother.

“...your day was not that nice, I take?”

Illumi did not say anything for a while. Maybe he thought about how he should reply, or if he should reply at all. After almost a minute he sighed and leaned back.

“... it's no big deal, really. Today just wasn't my day, that's all you need to know.”

“Did something happen?”

“Not really. I had to pay some more repair costs for the apartment. Also I realized I forgot to call the doctor for the results of my last blood samples two weeks ago and now I feel as if it is too late to ask...would be too awkward.” He sighed once more. “Being an adult sucks sometimes. You can't ask your mother to make your calls anymore.”

Killua laughed slightly. “That's the worst part?”

“For me, it is. I hate making phone calls, they just make me uncomfortable.” Illumi replied.

Suddenly Kalluto appeared in the doorway and peeked into the room.

“But I heard you talk with Machi on the phone earlier this morning, Aniki.” he said quietly.

Illumi turned around to Kalluto. “Have you been eavesdropping again?” he asked and smiled at their youngest brother.

Kalluto shook his head. “I don't eavesdrop! I just overheard it when I walked past your room...” He almost seemed as if he felt caught.

Illumi laughed. “I wasn't being serious, calm down. I know you don't do things like that. Well, calling people I know is no big deal, but I don't like calling someone I'm not that close with.”

“I don't like that either.” Kalluto replied quietly and was about to sit down with them. But then Kikyo called for his help from the kitchen and Kalluto left.

Illumi sighed again and began to play with his hair. “Well, that was what happened today... no big deal, as I was saying.”

Killua nodded. Although those were all reasonable things to get upset about, there seemed to be something else that was bothering his brother. Something he didn't want to talk about. At least that was what his brother's aura told him.

He carefully peeked over to Illumi and from the corner of his eye he saw a light. Maybe Illumi had gotten a new message on his phone that he kept somewhere in his pockets? But the light didn't blink, like the one on his own phone usually did.

Killua slowly turned his head in the direction of his brother. The light came from Illumi. Well, it wasn't him who was glowing, but the light came from inside of him, somehow...

“Uhm, Aniki?”

There was no response. But by taking a closer look, the reason became obvious. His older brother had been playing with a lock of his hair, but now he wasn't moving at all. He did not even blink. Not like that was a weird thing, back home Illumi had developed the very same habit of not blinking, or rarely doing it. If he though about it now, that was a really bizarre thing to do.

Considering this, it did in fact not seem normal for Illumi to not blink at all. Moreover he looked like he was frozen in his movement completely. But it wasn't just him. Time itself around Killua seemed to have stopped.

The light that came from inside his brother looked similar to the one of the stone he had touched earlier today. It was uncomfortably bright, but warm at the same time.

Killua moved closer towards the source of the light. The moment he realized where the light came from exactly, he stared at the origin in round-eyed surprise. Without doubt, it was his brother's heart that was illuminated by the blueish light.

“ _Almost like in those video games...”_ This could have been just another daydream, but it felt too real.

“If it is like in a video game, then this could be a clue... but why is his happening?” Killua couldn't see the point. If Nen did not excist in this world, then why were there glowing stones that stopped time?

Touching the stone earlier was probably the reason this was happening. Maybe this was one of the powers Nanika had spoken off...? It had to be, there was no other way.

If his conclusion was correct, then touching his brother's glowing heart would trigger something, maybe even make things move again. Killua sighed. “Well, there's nothing to lose...”

It felt weird to just reach for something anywhere close to Illumi's chest area, and it felt even weirder to reach into his body.

Just like earlier today, what his hands touched felt cold. It was not a human heart between his fingers, but it felt like the blue gemstone from the Kurta village.  
Suddenly the light grew brighter and Killua felt as if everything around him disappeared in the blinding brightness that filled the room.

 

* * *

 

“Where am I?” Killua opened his eyes and saw a place in front of him that looked like the inside of a bank, with all the ATMs and the counters with excessively groomed people behind them.

Suddenly he heard Illumi's voice inside his head as if it was his own.

“Hisoka, come on. I don't have all day.”

The body Killua was in seemed to move on it's own. It turned around and Killua could see Hisoka leaning against one of the counters, talking to a lady behind it. Above these two was a clock placed on the wall, that showed time, date and temperature. The date was set for today's date, but the time was set for 3 in the afternoon, where he had been at Kurapika's.

Suddenly Killua realized: He had to be inside Illumi's memories.

Hisoka looked over to Killua, well actually to Illumi, but it was still confusing for Killua to progress what had happened.

“Don't wait for me, Illu. I'll follow once I'm done talking to this lovely lady.” With that he winked at the lady behind the counter who giggled and he continued talking to her without giving Illumi another look. “So why don't we meet once you're done here? I know this amazing place...”

Illumi turned away from Hisoka and the counter lady Suddenly Killua felt an incredible anger and jealousy. Those had to be his brother's emotions.

“ _Bastard.”_

Illumi's voice echoed through Killua's head, but he couldn't feel his mouth moving. It didn't seem a lot like his brother to curse openly in public, so he had probably thought that insult which was clearly meant for Hisoka.

Killua witnessed his brother applying for a bank credit to make up for the repair costs of their apartment. Once he was done Hisoka joined him again, waving around a piece of paper.

“Got her number.” He said and grinned. “Did you see that cleavage? High score, man.”

Killua felt an eerie cold inside his brother's heart.

“Good for you.” With that Illumi walked right past Hisoka who gave him a confused look.

“Something wrong? Did that glasses guy not give us the credit?” Hisoka asked.

Illumi did not reply but Killua could feel a raging anger inside of him.

“ _That piece of .... Thinks he can share the bed with me and then expects me to not care at all when he flirts with someone else. I just want to slap that grin off his face, I could run him over with the car-!!”_ Illumi took a deep breath and turned around to Hisoka.

“It's nothing. Just get in the car, I want to go home.”

Suddenly Killua felt as if everything drifted further away from him. The blueish light appeared around him and the scenery around him disappeared in the brightness.

 

* * *

Killua found himself sitting in his family's living room next to Illumi who kept playing around with his hair.

Could it really have been... that touching that weird stone had granted him some kind of power? There was no other explanation for what had just happened. But how was looking into people's memories going to help him fight that demon?

But now he understood what was bothering Illumi. No one liked the feeling of being used. Killua was confused however; he had assumed that Hisoka felt at least something for Illumi, well at least so much that he would never make a move on someone right in front of him.. was that not the truth?

Killua heard his mother call for dinner and Illumi rose to his feet.

“Come on, Mom doesn't like to wait.” he said and smiled at Killua.

As he made his way to the dining room, he kept thinking about what had happened. This new power could probably come in handy at some point. But considering the thing between Illumi and Hisoka... there was nothing he could do for now, but it could not be left like this, that was for sure. It was best not to interfere and get involved, but Hisoka better got his stuff together. His brother surely would not tolerate such behavior for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Killua finally discovers something that brings him one step closer to defeating the demon, hurray! Something that's not exactly helpful though. But there's a lot more to come.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and some good news: I already started writing the next chapter. Hopefully this time I'll finish it earlier.
> 
> I'm also writing on a Halloween fic (which will be published on Halloween as well) for AmaraSessh who writes the amazing fic "My Rebound, Hisoka!", so be sure not to miss that one~


	7. By the Beach part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua finally gets to spend time with Gon, Kurapika and Leorio at the beachhouse.  
> While he finds out some unexpected things about his brother, the feelings of a true first love begin to blossom in Killua while he gets closer to Gon~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me really long, and I'm really sorry as well for the delay.  
> But no worries, I would never ever drop this fic, it's grown onto me so much by now that I want to finish it at all costs.
> 
> Thanks to AmaraSessh, who helped me with some decisions, I finally finished the next chapter and I'll try my hardest to publish the next one before next year~
> 
> Enjoy and thank you for all your support until now!♥  
> (If you spot any mistakes, please let me know)

The sun had not risen yet when Killua slipped out of his bed. Today was the day he had been waiting for, the day he would go on vacation with his friends.

 

Like a normal child.

 

Today was also the first time he was awake before any other member of his family.

 

There were no buses passing their house at this hour yet, so Illumi or Hisoka – Killua wasn’t sure who would drive – had to pick Gon, Kurapika and Leorio up one by one.

 

Although Killua had reminded his brother to set the alarm for today, it was suspiciously quiet in the house. It was probably better to check whether his brother had slept through the alarm or not.

 

Killua tip-toed past Alluka’s room and the one that belonged to Milluki, but since he wasn’t home a, Killua didn’t even have had to sneak past.

 

The door creaked slightly, when Killua peeked into Illumi’s room. There was no sign that someone was awake yet.

Killua sighed and walked over to the bed. He felt like covering his eyes for a moment.

 

Hisoka, who was much likely not wearing anything - but, blessedly, was covered by the duvet - had his arms wrapped around his brother’s torso and his lips were awfully close to Illumi’s neck.

It looked as if those two had made up after the fight they have had, well the fight Illumi have had but Hisoka didn’t even know about. At least it seemed Illumi had forgiven Hisoka – for now.

 

Killua wanted to turn around and leave things the way they were, as if he had not seen anything. Should he dare to get closer to the bed? What if Hisoka would grab him in his sleep if he tried to wake up Illumi? Nope, he could do very well without something like that happening.

 

But he didn’t even had to do anything. Illumi turned around on his back and pushed Hisoka together with the blanket off the mattress, but the man just kept sleeping. Killua was truly grateful that the blanket had not come off.

 

At least he could wake up his brother now without getting too close to Hisoka’s undressed body. No need for unnecessary body-contact.

 

Waking up his brother however turned out to be much more difficult than he had expected.

 

Killua remembered his brother’s light sleep back home in the other world. He used to sleep with his eyes open, it was no surprise that he was awake in the blink of an eye.

 

But things were a little different here. His brother did not only sleep with his eyes closed, he was also blessed with a really heavy sleep. After pinching him a few times and getting no reaction, Killua realized he had to be more aggressive in his ways.

 

“Aniki, wake up!” he said and tried to shake Illumi awake.

 

No response.

 

“Illumi, come on, it’s time to get up!” Killua groaned as he tried to pull his brother into a sitting position. For a second his brother’s right eye opened slightly, but was closed again. Killua thought about just throwing him out of bed, but he was still tired as well and could not hold his brother in his upright position any longer. He let Illumi fall back onto his pillow and wiped his forehead.

 

Unbelievable. Illumi just kept sleeping peacefully, wrapping his arms around his pillow and pulled it closer.

 

Killua squat down next to the bed and leaned forward to pinch his brother’s cheek.

“Illumi.”

  
Finally his brother showed a reaction, though it was only a grumble.

 

“Hey, Illumi… Mom wants you to get up.” Maybe bringing his mother in would help, Illumi always listened to her after all.

 

\- Apparently not in this world.

Illumi turned around and dug his face into the pillow, which made it hard for Killua to understand his reply.

“Tell her, I said no thanks…” he muttered, at least it sounded like that to Killua.

 

A bucket of water also seemed like a good option, but he didn’t wanted to get on Illumi’s bad side today.

 

Suddenly he noticed a pair of sharp, yellow eyes staring at him.

 

“Need a hand?”

 

“Ah!” Killua jumped back when he saw Hisoka sitting on the floor on the other side of the bed.

 

He must have woken him up while talking to Illumi. Head in hands, leaning against the mattress, the man watched the scene with an amused yet mischievous smile.

 

“Still scared of me? It’s not like I’m going to eat you, you know?” Hisoka mumbled, still sounding somewhat sleepy.

 

Killua rubbed his neck and pouted. “I wasn’t scared… But can you help me wake up Illumi?”

 

Hisoka’s smile grew wider. “Of course. Give me five minutes, and he’ll be up. Feel free to get ready in the meantime.”

 

Killua was suspicious. Should he really unleash Hisoka on his sleeping brother?  But it seemed he had no other option and agreed.

 

While he freshened up in the bathroom, he heard the bed creaking slightly, probably from Hisoka who climbed back onto the mattress.

Then he heard Illumi gasping, followed by a slapping noise and him yelling “What’s wrong with you?!”

 

A few moments later, Illumi entered the bathroom as well.

 

Back from his bedroom Hisoka could be heard calling “Come on, last night you were into that!”

 

But Illumi just rolled his eyes, while trying to wipe something off his neck using the sleeve of his shirt and mumbling “That idiot… to lick me out of nowhere, what the hell…”

 

He didn’t even notice Killua at first, but when he did, he nodded at him.

  
“Morning. Did you sic Hisoka on me to wake me up?” he asked.

  
Killua rubbed his neck. “Uhm… no. What makes you think that?”

 

“I could have sworn I heard the two of you talking. Maybe I just dreamed that…” He let out a groan after taking a look at the clock on the wall.

 

“Please never make me get up this early ever again, Killu. I’m so tired, I can’t even feel my face.”

 

Illumi mumbled and leaned against the wall, resting his head on his arms which he had placed on the window sill.

“I just want to go back to sleep…”

 

Killua had to suppress a laugh. To see his brother being such a tired mess truly was an experience. But if he wanted him to drive to the beach house, he had to keep him in good spirits.

 

Although he sometimes had woken up in the middle of the night to carry out a mission, Killua had never really been a morning person. But in his brother’s case it seemed to be even worse. Illumi had closed his eyes and mumbled something, but it sounded like sleep-talk.

 

“Hey, don’t fall asleep again!”

 

Illumi slowly opened his eyes again and yawned before placing his head on the cold window sill.

 

“I’ll try…“ He groaned and went over to the bathtub where he sat down on the bathtub rim, and reached for the cabinet next to him.

 

“Fuck this…” he mumbled.

 

Killua couldn’t believe his ears. “What was that?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“…Uhm…it’s nothing.” Killua muttered and walked out of the bathroom to get this travelling bag.

 

He had never heard his brother curse before and if he did he usually stopped before the really bad words – but it was early in the morning and he probably didn’t care enough to watch his language.

And Killua honestly couldn’t judge him.

 

Half an hour later Killua sat on the couch downstairs with a mug of hot chocolate in his hands with Illumi sitting in the armchair next to it, both waiting for Hisoka. How could applying makeup take so long?

 

Killua glanced over to his brother. Illumi seemed more to ‘hang’ in his chair than he was sitting. The coffee had not really helped him getting more awake, but he had refused Hisoka’s suggestion to try an energy drink.

 

“Why can’t our family have a private jet or a helicopter?” Illumi sighed and rubbed his right eye. “Then I wouldn’t have to get up at 4 in the morning…”

 

Killua turned his head to face Illumi. “How should mom and dad make that much money?”

 

“I don’t know. If they were some kind of agents or hitmen they definitely could afford a helicopter.” Illumi seemed to be more awake now that he had something to think about.

 

“Just imagine if we were some kind of assassin family. Like ‘Killua, you can’t have friends, your only passion is to kill’.” Illumi said and laughed slightly. “That would be messed up.”

 

Killua tried to fake a smile. Without knowing his brother had hit the bullseye. “Haha… yeah, that would be messed up.”

 

As if his brother noticed how uncomfortable Killua had gotten all of a sudden, he added “But I’d rather live in a more or less normal family than in a wealthy but messed up one… I would never trade you guys for money.”

 

“We could sell Milluki’s anime figures.” Killua said and grinned.

 

Illumi laughed and leaned back in the armchair. “We could do that, but then he’ll kill us - if he’s fast enough.”

  
“He doesn’t even have to be fast. He could crush us while we’re asleep.” Killua said and Illumi covered his mouth to hide his grin.

  
“Hush, that’s enough making fun of Milluki. He’s trying to get into shape and we should all support him.” He said while he was still trying to suppress his laughter.

 

Both of them were still grinning when Hisoka finally came down the stairs, not a single hair out of place.

 

“Finally done with your makeup, your highness?”

 

“If I were a certain someone who occupies the bathroom for an hour to dry his hair, I would keep my pretty little mouth shut.” Hisoka said and touched his hair to check whether it was still in place.

 

Illumi shrugged and rose to his feet.

 

“Whatever, you could’ve still hurried a bit more. There are people waiting to be picked up, and I won’t be late because of you.” He said and took a look at the clock.

 

Killua jumped up and fetched his bag. This week would be amazing. He had been looking forward to it since… Well, since he had found out about the whole thing.

 

He was curious how the beach house of his family would look and if he got to sleep in the same room as Gon and-

Just the possibility of him sharing a bed with Gon was enough to turn his cheeks pink.

 

But before he could worry about that, he had a 3 hour car drive ahead of him – together with Hisoka and Illumi who were already teasing each other again. Well, it was mostly Hisoka teasing his brother who seemed to get more annoyed with each second passing. Maybe it was best to get going and give them something else to focus on.

 

“Where are the car keys, Hisoka?” Illumi asked as he searched the key hooks.

 

Hisoka first fumbled around in his pants pockets, then in the pockets of his sweater.

“Don’t know.”

 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” The tone of Illumi’s voice began to remind Killua of his mother’s when she got angry.

 

Hisoka shrugged. “I don’t know where I left them. I’ll check if I left them in the car.” He said flatly and left through the front door.

 

Illumi sighed and grabbed a bunch of keys – probably the ones for the beach house. He held the door open for Killua.

 

“Come on, we can already bring the bags outside.” He said and let out another sigh.

 

When they made their way to the car, they were met by Hisoka who waved the car keys in the air. “Found them~ The key was still inserted.”

 

Illumi groaned. “Good job.” Killua had no idea that his brother could be sarcastic.

“What if someone had stolen the car while we were sleeping?"

 

Hisoka shrugged again. “I don’t know. But who would steal my car in a neighborhood like this anyway? Now stop pulling such a face and let’s get going.”

 

Killua bit his lips to hide a grin when Illumi rolled his eyes.

 

“Oh suddenly you’re the one who wants to hurry, huh?” he muttered and stowed away the bags in the car trunk.

The sun already began to rise when they finally left the driveway.

 

* * *

 

Killua must have fallen asleep on the way to Gon’s, since suddenly he was awoken by his friend’s- No, they were boyfriends now- by his _boyfriend’s_ voice right next to him.

 

“Good Morning, Killua!” Gon asked cheerfully and plumped down on the seat next to him.

 

Killua rubbed his eyes and covered his mouth to hide a yawn.

“Morning…” he muttered, still sleepy.

 

Apparently Gon was much more awake already.

 

“Did you sleep well? Are you excited yet? I can’t wait to go to the beach! Do you already know what we’ll eat for dinner tonight?”

 

Killua had no idea which question to answer first. “Uh…”

 

Hisoka, who had occupied the front passenger seat, turned around and smirked.

  
“My, what a cute little fruit you are today. Are you that excited?” he asked while Illumi, who had been storing Gon’s bag away, sat back in the driver’s seat.

 

Gon nodded. “Yes, I am! The last time I’ve been to the beach was two years ago, when I visited my dad’s hometown! Illumi, do you think the water will be warm enough to swim in?”

 

Illumi had been checking his hair in the driving mirror and now met Gon’s eyes in the mirror image.

“I think so, today will be hot again…” he looked over to Hisoka. “But we’re definitely staying in the house, you hear me?”

 

Hisoka did not look to happy about that. “But I wanted to go to the beach as well… to get my tan on~”

 

“…you’re all insane, that you’re willing to run around in the heat. But I doubt these guys want us to come with them anyway, Hisoka.”

 

Gon smiled and replied before Killua even got to open his mouth. “We don’t mind if you come along, right, Killua?”

 

“Uh…Sure, why not. I don’t remember the way to the beach that well, so I guess it’s better if you show us the way.” Killua muttered.

 

Illumi raised an eyebrow and observed his brother through the mirror. “You’ve been there every summer of your life, and you’re telling me you don’t know the way?”

 

Killua looked down and felt his cheeks turning hot. “I really don’t…”

 

His brother sighed. “You’re really forgetful lately, Killu. But fine, we’ll come with you guys then.” He said after a while and focused on the street again.

 

Killua would have loved to explain the whole thing, but he still feared that everyone, including Hisoka, would declare him crazy. Maybe the memories missing in this world would come back when he actually saw the beach house, who knew.

 

He was still tired, although the sun was shining by now and Gon kept talking non-stop. But Killua felt like sleeping, just for a bit.

 

* * *

 

It was a long car drive – longer than the three estimated hours. After they had picked up Leorio and Kurapika, the car’s AC had been running on the highest setting and Illumi didn’t seem to intend to turn it down. Although Leorio had begun to sneeze, he also seemed to prefer the cold instead of the heat from outside.

 

Killua and Gon had been playing video games on the backseat, while Kurapika and Leorio had been talking in the row behind them. Apparently an artifact of the Kurta clan had mysteriously disappeared soon after their visit – a blessed gemstone. Killua had sunken deeper into his seat and couldn’t help but to feel guilty. Although he didn’t wanted to take that stone in the first place, he sort of was the culprit.

 

The powers this gemstone had given him were still unfathomable to him and they had only worked that one time on his brother. Illumi surely would not be pleased if he knew that Killua had been wandering around in his mind, but maybe this power would come in useful when it was least expected.

 

But right now they had been stuck in traffic jam for about half an hour and it was easy to tell that his brother was close to losing it.

 

Illumi let his head drop onto the steering wheel and groaned. “I knew taking the highway was a bad idea. I just knew it.” He said and leaned back against the seat.

 

Hisoka who had been playing around on his phone looked up and leaned over to Illumi to place his head on the man’s shoulder.

“No need to frown. Just look out of the window, today is such a beautiful day.”

 

Illumi furrowed and crossed his arms. “If I was sitting by the pool with a cold drink in my hand right now, perhaps then I could say the same thing.”

 

Gon leaned forward and cleaned his throat. “Uh, Illumi? Could we take a break sometime soon? I’m super hungry…”

 

Hisoka looked up to Illumi, his head still resting on his shoulder “Yeah, let’s take a break, I’m hungry too.”

 

Illumi shoved Hisoka away from him and brushed his long black hair behind his ear. “Fine, let’s take a break. Killu, be so kind and check when we’re going to drive past the next service area.”

 

* * *

 

Break time was nice.

Illumi and Hisoka had stayed by the van, while Killua, Gon and Kurapika went to the restaurant. Leorio had went to the bathroom to fix his hair and had only earned a smirk of Kurapika for that remark.

 

It was hot, they were all sweating somehow and even if they would try to get their hair back into place, their hairstyle would be ruined after the next few hours in the car anyway.

 

Gon ran to a bench and waved at Killua and Kurapika to follow him. The view in front of them was not too bad. Killua found it unusual for a lake to be this close to the highway, but here it was, the water shimmering in the sunlight.

 

He leaned back and closed his eyes. “We could stay here just as well.”

 

“It’s really nice, isn’t it?” Gon smiled at him and grabbed his hand, making Killua jump. He earned a confused look from him and felt his cheeks turning pink. This was just too new to him.

 

Kurapika covered his mouth to hide a grin and looked at the landscape in front of them as well.

“Yes, I like it too… if it wasn’t for the highway in the background.”

 

Before Gon or Killua could reply, Leorio finally made his way to them and let himself fall onto the bench next to Kurapika.

 

He groaned and wiped his forehead. “This heat is unbearable. I hope the weather at the beach will be more temperate.” He looked over to Killua. “It’s going to be more temperate, right? Please tell me, it’s not as hot as here.

 

Killua waved it off. “No need to worry, it’s much more bearable there. Besides, I think our house has an AC.”

 

Leorio let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness. I was already starting to worry.”

 

“I’d like to have your worries.” Kurapika smiled at him then took a look at the watch. “We should

get back to the car, unless we want to arrive in the evening.”

 

Gon pouted and jumped up. “No way, I want to go to the beach today!” He pulled Killua off the bench. “Come on, let’s go!”

 

Leorio sighed. “But I just sat down…”

 

“You will sit for the next hours.” Kurapika noted and earned only a frown.

 

“I can’t stretch my legs in the car, I’m too tall…” Leorio grumbled, but rose to his feet as well.  He let out a sigh.

“I guess it can’t be helped. But the second we arrive at the beach house, the couch is mine.”

 

* * *

 

“We finally made it – and not thanks to you, Hisoka. I’ll never let you navigate again.” Illumi sighed as he turned into the driveway that led to the Zoldyck’s beach house.

 

Hisoka still frowned and looked out of the window. “How could I have known that road led straight into a corn field…” he muttered and let his bubblegum pop between his lips.

 

“It was drawn-in on the map. But we’re here now and that’s all that matters. I am not mad at you, I’m just tired and I want to lie down.”

 

Leorio straightened up on his seat in the back and groaned as he rubbed his back. “Same here, I need a break.”

 

Gon didn’t seem too happy about that, since his eyes widened and looked at Killua with something close to puppy eyes. “But I want to go to the beach.”

 

Killua stretched in his seat and yawned. “No worries, we don’t have to go to the part close to the promenade right now, I think we just need to walk down a path from our house that leads to the water as well.”

 

“Suddenly you remember the way, huh?” Illumi asked with an sarcastic undertone, that meant no harm.

 

Killua laughed slightly. “I guess, I do.”

 

But it was true. The second he had seen the wide water and the yellow sand from the car window, he had remembered everything – although he had never been here, at least not consciously. All the memories connected to this place came back.

 

He remembered building sandcastles with his father and Illumi when he was still a toddler, playing in the water with his younger siblings, the chilly evenings on the terrace – they were warm, happy memories that came back and for a moment a nostalgic feeling spread inside him.

 

“Killua?”

 

Killua must have been so overwhelmed, he had not noticed everyone else leaving the car.

 

Illumi had opened the car door and gave him a confused look.

“Killua, do you want to stay in the car?” he asked.

  
“Uh… No.” Since his brother seemed to be waiting, Killua quickly undid his belt and slipped out of the car and ran after Gon who had already entered the hallway.

 

Gon’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he looked around. “Woah…this is so… huge! How many rooms does this house have?”

 

“Originally it had 6 rooms, but my parents had to build 5 additional bedrooms later.” Illumi answered before Killua got the chance, and dropped another bag at the staircase.

 

Gon still seemed to be amazed by the house. “Oh I see. Those are a lot of rooms…” he mumbled as he took a peek into the living room where Leorio had made himself comfortable on the couch.

 

“Where are we going to sleep? Or more specifically, where are we allowed to sleep?”

 

“I didn’t think about that yet, but I assumed that Gon would like to share a room with Killua.” Illumi replied.

 

“Yes, I want to stay with Killua!” Gon yelled, now from somewhere down the dining hall. He sure was fast when it came to observing new places.

 

Killua sat down on the carpet in the living room.

“I guess our parent’s and grandparent’s room are a taboo then.” He gave Illumi a questioning look.

 

“I don’t even have the key for them.” Illumi admitted and continued “Milluki would also be unhappy about someone sleeping in his room, besides no one should need to deal with that anime hell. Kalluto was also kind of unhappy when I asked him about someone staying in his room… that only leaves Alluka’s room and mine.” He turned to Kurapika and Leorio. “If you don’t want to share rooms, the couch is also a sleeping sofa.”

 

Leorio shrugged. “I don’t mind, unless Kurapika is uncomfortable with that.”

 

For a second Killua could have sworn to see a faint blush appearing on Kurapika’s cheeks. “I don’t mind as well.”

 

Killua jumped up. “Great! Then everything’s settled, right?”

 

“Yes. Feel free to show Gon around, I need to lie down on my bed for a while.” Illumi muttered and hid a yawn with his hand.

 

Hisoka, who had just carried in the last bag, hugged Illumi’s waist and purred into his ear – loud enough for Killua to hear – “I hope your bed is able to bear a little action.”

 

Illumi looked as if he was about to kill Hisoka on the spot and Killua heard him hiss at Hisoka “I will not engage into any kind of inappropriate behavior while my brother is around – especially not, if he’s sleeping directly next door.”

 

Hisoka looked disappointed, but whispered – again loud enough for Killua to hear, and he wished he had not heard it – “We could still do it in the car.” Whereupon Illumi just rolled his eyes and walked up the stairs with his bag.

 

“What? That was a serious suggestion!” Hisoka protested as he followed Illumi upstairs.

 

Killua shuddered and shook of the image in his head. “Gross.” How could his brother even bear to be friends with someone so…lewd?

 

He would never know the answer anyway and focused on something different. Gon had returned from his tour around the main floor and grabbed Killua’s hand.

“Killua, come on! I want to see your room and then I want to go to the beach!” he almost begged.

 

He sure seemed to be excited about getting to know the place and Killua had no other chance but to show Gon his room upstairs.

 

When he opened the door, Killua was surprised himself. He did remember most of the time he had spent here when he was younger, but he had not remembered how his room looked.

 

It wasn’t too big, compared to the one back home. But it was enough for a huge bed and a nightstand, a flat screen TV across the room and a shelf with a lot of photo frames. What was it with this family and photos? Maybe his mother was really into photography… who knew.

 

Gon ran past Killua and jumped onto the bed. He stretched and grinned. “What a huge bed!”

 

Killua walked over to the bed, inspecting the photos on the shelf. “I have to fit in there too, you know?” he said and sat down on the edge of the bed.

 

“Hm? Oh yeah, sorry!” Gon replied and rolled over to make room for him. A hint Killua did not catch. When no reaction followed, he pulled Killua down next to him and smiled.

 

“There. Look, there’s enough room for both of us.” He said and looked Killua deep in the eyes.

 

 - A little too long for Killua. He blushed and looked away. “Jeez, Gon, that’s embarrassing…”

 

Gon laughed and took his hand. “Sorry, but you have really pretty eyes.” He said and grinned.

 

Killua groaned and rolled over, facing the shelf now and tried to hide his now deep red face from Gon.

  
_‘How embarrassing, I can’t take this any longer.’_

It wasn’t like he didn’t like it, not at all – he just had no idea how to react to things like that. Gon would have to be patient until Killua got used to this kind of relationship. But he didn’t wanted to let Gon down.

 

He cleared his throat and rolled onto his back, not facing Gon exactly, but it seemed less rude than looking at the wall – and said “You… you also have beautiful eyes.” and immediately felt his blood rushing through his cheeks again. Why was this so hard?

 

“Thank you.” Gon answered with a grin and sat up. He stretched and let out a yawn, but suddenly he stopped in his motion.

 

A loud rumble came from his stomach and Gon blushed slightly. “Uh… sorry about that. I didn’t even notice how hungry I was…” he said and laughed awkwardly.

 

But Killua just waved it off with a smile. “No worries, I’ll ask Illumi if we can drive to the supermarket and once we’re back here, I’ll show you the beach.”

 

“Sounds great!” Gon cheered and got up from the bed.

 

Killua had asked Illumi about driving to the store and now he and Gon were waiting in the living room, since his brother wanted to shower first. But who could blame him?

To be honest, Killua didn’t feel exactly clean either, but he would shower after a swim in the ocean later today.

 

Right now, he sat on the couch and enjoyed the cold air coming from the AC in the corner of the room.

 

Gon was busy lurking around in the living room, still curious about the interior decoration or whatever it was that had him so fascinated with the Zoldyck’s beach house.

 

After a while Kurapika and Leorio joined them, although Leorio looked as if he’d rather be sleeping.  
He yawned and let himself flop on the sofa.

 

“I’m so tired…” he mumbled and leaned back while closing his eyes.

 

Kurapika threw a pillow at him, before he could fall asleep. “You’ve already slept enough. If you take another nap, you won’t be able to sleep tonight.” Kurapika said and laughed as Leorio pouted.

 

“Well thanks _Mom_ , but I can decide that myself.” He grumbled and grabbed the pillow Kurapika had thrown at him. But instead of a counter attack, he snuggled up to the pillow and laid down.

  
“Wake me, when everyone’s ready…” he mumbled.

 

Kurapika could only shake his head and stretched on his armchair. “Have it your way then.” He said and watched Gon who was busy observing the photos on the wall.

 

Killua did not look at the clock, but his brother sure seemed to take his time. He almost had fallen asleep himself when finally Illumi and Hisoka made it down the stairs – deep in conversation.

 

“I’m just saying that blonde hair would look good on you as well.” Hisoka said while making a dramatic gesture with his hand.

He only got an annoyed side glance from Illumi who replied “No thanks, I dyed my hair once and I regretted it for months. Please be so kind and keep your hair dye away from my shampoo.”

 

Hisoka shrugged. “Fine, as you wish.”

 

Killua noticed how Gon’s eyes lit up. “Illumi, you dyed your hair? What color did you dye it?”

 

Illumi’s lips twitched for a second, as if he had just remembered a terrible memory. He gently pushed his hair out of his face before he answered “I died it…green.”

 

Hisoka smirked and waltzed over to Illumi where he placed a hand on the other man’s hips. He took a lock of black hair and began to play around with it.

“You looked great back then, not that you don’t look good today… but it was more fitting.”

 

Gon seemed really interested in the story concerning Illumi’s dyed hair. “Green hair? Dark green?”

 

“Yes, like algae. It really went well with your style back then.” Hisoka answered for Illumi, who seemed almost overwhelmed by Gon’s interest.

“Plus I think the Boss loved it as well.” He purred and winked at Illumi, who slapped his hand away.

 

Killua glanced over to his older brother. “The Boss, huh?” So Illumi had been friends with the Spiders in the past.

 

Illumi’s reaction was so unexpected, Killua almost laughed out loud when he saw the blush on his cheeks.

“Can we stop talking about my hair and maybe get going…?” he muttered and pouted.

 

Gon jumped over to the sofa to pull Killua off the cushion. “Yes, let’s go to the store!”

Killua rubbed his neck and stretched. Sitting for such a long time was sure tiring.

 

He looked over to Kurapika, who pinched Leorio’s nose to wake him up. Leorio ripped his eyes open and gasped for air, before he turned to Kurapika with a frown.

  
“Are you trying to kill me?” he growled, whereas Kurapika only smiled.

 

“I’d never do that. Stop yelling and put on some shoes, we’re going to the store.” He said.

 

Leorio sighed, since there seemed no reason to argue with the blonde, and went into the hallway, where Hisoka was already waiting, playing with the car keys which he swung around with a finger.

 

The car ride to the store was really quiet compared to the eternally long one earlier today. When they entered the store, Gon was about to run off with Killua to the candy section, but before he got the chance, they were interrupted by Illumi.

 

“Alright… You guys can go look around, while I’ll go pick the things from the list. But remember, no alcohol in the beach house.” He said, whereas Hisoka began to chuckle.

 

Killua raised an eyebrow. “We’re twelve.”

 

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Illumi said and glanced over to Leorio, who laughed awkwardly and rubbed his neck.

 

“No worries, I’ll be a responsible, mature grown-up.”

 

With that Leorio and Kurapika went off, to pick their stuff, while Hisoka was still laughing. He wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath.

 

“No alcohol in the beach house…” he began to laugh again. “Oh, Illumi, you’re killing me. That rule didn’t exist the last time we were here with the gang. Why so disciplined all of a sudden? Have you found virtue after all?”

 

Illumi shushed and darted a poisonous glance at him. “If you keep saying stuff like this in front of Killua, I’ll kick you in the face – in front of everyone, I don’t care. You hear me?” he hissed.

 

Killua raised an eyebrow. “What exactly happened the last time you were here with your ‘friends’, Aniki?”

 

“Oh, nothing Killu-“

 

“Ha! Your brother got completely wasted-“

 

A slap hit Hisoka in the face.

 

“The next time, I won’t hold back.” Illumi said, blushing from anger now. He turned to Killua, looking almost embarrassed. “It’s not like that Killu, your brother is really responsible!”

 

Hisoka seemed to have recovered from the slap and rubbed his now swollen cheek. “Damn that hurt… I know some people who would pay you to hit them like that.” He said and frowned slightly for pretend, but he was immediately back to his playful nature.

 

Illumi crossed his arms. “Please keep these people very far away from me.” He cleared his throat. “Well, we should hurry, before the store closes.”

 

* * *

 

The grocery shopping went faster than Killua had expected it and before he knew it they were back at the beach house.

Illumi went upstairs for another “nap”, followed by Hisoka who seemed weirdly excited.

 

Kurapika wanted to unpack his things, while Leorio had made himself comfortable on the couch and was already dozing off when Killua and Gon left the house to finally go to the beach.

 

Gon’s eyes lit up the second he saw the blue shimmer of the ocean and the warm, white sand.

“It’s so pretty…” he said, still in awe of the view in front of them.

 

Killua enjoyed the warm breeze blowing from the sea and the dancing waves just as much, but what really caught his attention was how adorable Gon looked.

 

As his eyes shimmered brightly in the sun and the wind gently blew through his black hair, Killua felt a warm flutter in his chest and butterflies dancing around inside his stomach. He resisted the urge to clutch his chest, to somehow get control over the overwhelming feeling.

 

He felt completely helpless, unable to handle the way he felt about Gon. But he knew how cute he was, how much he cared about him and that for nothing in the world he would give any of this up.

 

“Killua?”

 

Gon’s voice finally brought him back to reality.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Come here.”

 

Gon let himself flop down onto the warm sand, pulling Killua down with him. For a while none of them said a word, only appreciating the view in front of them.

 

Killua had never considered how beautiful just watching the waves roll onshore, the tiny boats close to the horizon or just listening to the foam breaking on the waves could be. But sitting here together with Gon was enough to make him notice all those little things.

 

After more than five minutes of silence, Gon finally spoke again.

 

“Thank you for taking me here, Killua.”

 

It was a simple thanks, but it brought a smile to Killua’s face.

 

“You’re welcome…” he said quietly. “I enjoy being with you.” Although he felt his cheeks turning hot, this time the words left his lips much easier.

 

Gon laughed gently and smiled. “I enjoy being with you too.” He made a pause, before he got up on his feet again.

 

“Now I really want to take a dip in the water! Who gets there last is a slug!” he declared and ran towards the ocean without further ado.

 

“No way, I’m no slug. Stop right there, you’re cheating already!” Killua yelled after him and jumped onto his feet, chasing after him.

 

* * *

 

After hours of playing around on the beach and in the water, Killua and Gon finally were on their way home. Both of them were still soaking wet, since none of them had thought about bringing a towel with them.

 

Gon glanced over to Killua and laughed. “You really look funny with wet hair.”

 

Killua blushed slightly and looked away with a soft smile. “Look who’s talking. You look even funnier with your hair down like this.” He said and grinned.

“Like a completely different person.”

 

When Gon made a pout, Killua laughed and gave him a soft punch against his shoulder. “I didn’t say you looked bad, sheesh.”

 

“Hm, I see.” Gon answered and took one of his now seemingly longer locks and let it pass through his fingers. He shuddered by the noise his hair made.

“I don’t really like the feeling of salt-water soaked hair.”

 

“We should probably shower anyway… after the long car drive I don’t want to go to bed with a sweaty feeling.” Killua noted.

“There’s only one shower in the house…if you want to, you can go first!”

 

Gon nodded. “Alright. I’ll try to hurry up.”

 

They finally arrived at the house that seemed almost too quiet.

 

While Gon hopped up the stairs, Killua looked around and found only his brother who was relaxing on a lounger, outside on the patio. He was texting on his phone, but put it aside when he noticed Killua.

 

“Done with swimming already?” he asked.

 

“Yeah.” Killua sat down on the lounger next to Illumi and wiped his forehead – despite the heat, he was still wet from the dip in the sea earlier.

 

Illumi just nodded, glued back to his phone again. Killua lied down on the lounger and stretched. He heard the shower running on the second floor and hot steam rose from the open window. Sea gulls were flying about and barely a cloud drifted through the sky above.

 

None of them said anything for a while, until Killua glanced over to Illumi and asked “Any plans for tonight already?”

 

Illumi shrugged. “Your friends that are staying over, not mine. Do whatever you like.”

 

“Alright then.” Killua looked back up to the sky. “And what are we going to eat this evening?”

 

Illumi placed his phone on the table and turned to Killua. “Unless you guys feel like cooking, we could order something. Or you can go out to eat, it’s up to you.”

 

“Ordering is fine… I’m too tired to go out or cook.” Killua said whereas Illumi sighed and laughed slightly.

 

“I thought so. When you’re hungry, just grab the menus with the phone numbers. They should be somewhere next to the fridge.”

 

“Cool… Where’s Hisoka by the way?” Killua was curious, since usually Hisoka was always lurking around Illumi in some way.

  
“Probably still upstairs, sleeping.” Illumi said and for a second Killua could only suspect a faint, suspicious blush on his brother’s cheeks.

 

He seemed to want to change the topic and continued “If you want to know where Leorio and Kurapika are, they said they wanted to explore the area a bit. But they should be back soon, there’s not that much to see here anyway.”

 

“But still enough to see for you to invite Chrollo and the Spiders over?”

 

Killua had been curious about this ever since his encounter with Shalnark at the mall, and it was about time Illumi came out with the truth. It would be too annoying to ask him with Hisoka around, he would only distract them.

Perhaps the question sounded a bit blunt.

 

Illumi brother raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you become so nosy, Killu? How do you even know them? There’s no way you met anyone besides Hisoka or maybe Machi…you could have seen them on our way back from school… But what’s more important, how did you find out about the name?” he asked and observed Killua with a skeptical look.

 

“Uh…"

 

Killua had to think for a moment. He should have thought more about how to ask Illumi about the whole thing exactly. The way he had asked probably sounded nothing but suspicious.

 

“Shalnark…” he began. “I’ve heard it from him. I’ve met him in the mall with Gon.”

 

Illumi stayed quiet for a while, but he seemed convinced.

 

It was probably rude for Killua to poke around in his brother’s personal life, but if it would really bother him, he could have just ignored Killua. Of course Illumi couldn’t bring himself to do so.

 

“Fine… I don’t see why you shouldn’t know about them. It’s not like you’re going to snitch, that’s something only Milluki would do.” He said.

 

“Snitch? Are mom and dad not allowed to know you used to hang with them?” Killua asked.

 

“Dad is not really the problem. Mom was and still is… She never really liked any of my friends, that’s also why I never bothered bringing someone home.”

 

Killua laughed slightly. The first thing that came to his mind was the way their mother treated Hisoka.

“Does she have a reason why she doesn’t like them?”

Hisoka was not exactly a mother’s dream – as a friend for her son or possibly more. But there was no way she would just hate him for nothing, as well as the Spiders.

 

“Well…” Illumi looked up and began to play around with a lock of his hair.

 

“Let’s just say, I was not exactly an easy kid once I hit my teens, and that it is sort of my own fault she doesn’t trust anyone I used to hang with… I mean some of them have an entry in the police records - that only adds to the problem.”

 

Killua couldn’t believe his ears. Illumi a problem child? In the time he had been here, his brother had seemed like the embodiment of honesty and goodwill – perhaps that sounded too exaggerated, but Killua would have never assumed that his brother would dare to disobey his parents.

 

Not as if that was a bad thing, but it was definitely unexpected.

 

“Not an easy kid? Illumi, what exactly did you do?”

 

“Ugh, Killua, do you want me to bother you how you and Gon got together? … I did some stupid things and I said some stupid things in the past, but that was long ago. Is that enough of a tragic backstory for now?”

 

“Yeah I guess…” Killua said and rubbed his neck. It was weird for him that Illumi was able to become annoyed by him, but it wasn’t too bad. It made it feel more like a normal sibling relationship.

 

At least now he knew that talking about anything concerning friendships and their parents with Illumi was not the best idea.

It was hard to imagine how exactly his brother had managed to make their mother despise his friends, but if he said she had a valid reason, then it had to be something serious.

 

Illumi sighed and his look softened. “I’m sorry if I sounded rude, Killu. I really didn’t mean it like that… I just don’t like to talk about what happened between mom, dad and me in the past.”

 

Killua looked at him. “You don’t have to apologize, I understand… shouldn’t have asked. But can I ask you one more thing about the spiders?”

 

“Ask away.”

 

“You said some of them had a police record already… but are they good people?” Killua asked.

 

It took Illumi some time to understand what Killua was trying to express with that question. Killua didn’t quite know it himself, but he still remembered his encounter with the Spiders in Yorkshin… and it had not exactly been the best time of his life.

 

“I’m not sure if I understood what you mean-“

 

“I meant to ask… if they ever did something bad. Did they ever take someone hostage? Tortured someone? …Killed someone?”

 

The look Illumi gave Killua seemed to question his sanity. A second later he began to laugh.

 

“Kill someone? What are you thinking?” He had to take a breath and wiped a tear from his eye.

 

“Kill someone... good lord, Killua. They got into fights with some other gangs, hung around in prohibited areas or sometimes they stole something… but none of them ever killed a person.”

 

Killua felt stupid for having asked such a questions, but at the same time he was relieved. Well, perhaps he should not exactly be relieved since Illumi had been involved in shady things like the ones he mentioned as well. But it was still somewhat relieving.

 

Before they could continue their conversation, Killua heard a voice yell from the window upstairs.

“Killua! I’m done showering, you can use the bathroom now!”

 

Of course it was Gon.

 

The window next to the one of the bathroom opened and Hisoka leaned out of it.

 

“Gon, could you maybe not yell that loud the next time? I was still sleeping…” he grumbled and ran his fingers through his messy hair.

 

Gon, completely dressed again, leaned out of the window as well and gave Hisoka a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I forgot your room was next to the bath…” he said and laughed.

 

Down on the patio, Illumi had covered his mouth to hide the fact that he was laughing – maybe about Hisoka, maybe about the situation itself, though it was probably both.

 

Killua grinned. “Understood! I’ll see you upstairs Gon!”

 

* * *

 

After Killua was finished with his shower he made his way through the hallway of the second floor and entered his room where Gon was waiting for him already.

 

“Hey! Leorio and Kurapika came back while you were taking a shower, they’re waiting downstairs.” He said as he jumped off the bed to greet Killua.

 

Killua rubbed his hair with his towel and checked himself out in the mirror, before he turned around to Gon. “But they did not wait for me all this time, did they?”

 

Gon shook his head. “No, I do not think so. But they have been making plans for tonight already with your brother and Hisoka. Now we’re all just waiting for your opinion.” He said and dragged Killua downstairs.

 

“What plans exactly?” Killua asked.

 

“You’ll see.” Gon answered as they entered the living room. He shoved Killua onto the sofa and smiled. “Here he is.”

 

Kurapika looked up from the magazine he had been reading. “Ah, Killua. We were just wondering when you’d come.”

 

Leorio shoved his glassed back into place and glanced over to Kurapika. “Just? You mean a while ago, before you began reading and ignored me.”

 

The blonde gave him a confused look. “I was not ignoring you. You could have just kept talking, but I thought we weren’t going to continue the conversation until Killua said what he thought about the whole thing.”

 

Killua looked at Kurapika curiously. “What thing?”

 

“We were thinking about watching a movie tonight. You know, it’s the first evening and we could just relax a bit. What do you think?” Kurapika asked with a smile.

 

Killua leaned back. “Hm, sounds good to me. What kind of movie do you guys want to watch?”

 

Gon’s eyes lit up. “A creepy one.”

 

“A psycho thriller.” Kurapika said.

 

“No, definitely a creepy movie.” Leorio added while Hisoka smirked and said “A creepy one with a lot of gore would be lovely.”

 

Killua noticed how quiet Illumi had gotten all of a sudden. He did not seem too thrilled by any of the suggestions.

 

“If everyone is okay with it, then we can do that.” Killua said and glanced over to Illumi. “What do you think?”

 

Illumi began to twist a lock of his hair around in his fingers and bit his lower lip.

  
“I don’t mind…” he muttered and looked away, while Hisoka grinned and gently pinched him.

 

“Aw, are you scared? You don’t need to worry, I’ll protect you tonight.” He said and smirked, but only earned a deadly glare from Illumi.

 

“Shut up. I’m not scared…” he hissed and looked down. “I have no problems with zombies or people going on a killing spree… I just don’t want to watch anything demon- or ghost- related.”

 

“Naturally.” Hisoka who had been trying to hide his grin began to laugh whereas Illumi punched his arm.

  
“Stop laughing, I’m serious.”  


Killua was surprised – really surprised. “I never knew something like that could scare you, is it really that bad?”

 

Hisoka hid his face, apparently Illumi’s punch had only made his laughing fit worse. “Oh please, your brother gets scared by everything. By plants-” He couldn’t finish the sentence since he had to take a breath from laughing. “…or by his own shadow-“

 

Illumi’s cheeks had turned red and he shoved Hisoka away. “That only happened once!”

Hisoka finally calmed down and pushed a lock of his hair that had fallen into his face back into place. “But it did happen, that’s the point… Our apartment sure is a scary place when it’s dark.”

 

He smirked at Illumi who gritted his teeth, but turned away from Hisoka, not showing further interest in the subject.

 

Killua bit his lips to hide his grin as well. The thought of his brother getting scared by his own shadow while walking around in a dark apartment was just too hilarious.

 

“That’s enough now.” Illumi threw his hair over his shoulder and looked at Killua. “You can guys go pick a movie and order food, I’m not hungry and I’m tired.”

 

“So you won’t watch the movie with us?” Gon asked and sounded almost disappointed.

 

Before Illumi got the chance to answer, Hisoka threw in a “He’s trying to avoid it, Gon.” And was smacked by a pillow.

 

“No, I will watch that stupid movie. But I want to do it soon, because I have no interest in falling asleep on the couch.”

 

Hisoka clutched the pillow and leaned over to Illumi, placing his head on his shoulders. “Keep telling yourself that. I would wager a thousand jenny that you’ll end up too scared to sleep.”

 

While Illumi flicked with his fingers against Hisoka’s forehead and their conversation continued, Killua and Gon, shortly followed by Kurapika and Leorio went into the kitchen to order food.

 

* * *

 

It was in the middle of the night, when Killua finally felt tired enough to actually go to sleep. After watching the movie together, it had been quite late already and they all had disappeared in their rooms. But until now, he and Gon had been busy chatting about what else they were going to do within the next days.

 

“Killua? Are you still awake?” Gon asked, lying next to Killua – he should have been able to see his half opened eyes, but maybe he asked him just to make sure he was still listening.

 

Killua managed to get out a muffled “Yeah.” Although he felt as if he was about to fall asleep any second.

 

“Cool…” For a while that was all Gon said and Killua already felt his eyelids becoming heavier. But then Gon began to talk again.

  
“Today was great. I’m really glad, I can spend part of my vacation together with you. It’s always so boring when you’re not around…” he said softly.

 

Killua mumbled something he wasn’t able to make out himself, but it was supposed to be a “Likewise.”

 

Gon hummed and let out a yawn. “Goodnight, Killua. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Yeah…” Killua muttered.

 

He was about to drift off into sleep, until he heard that Illumi and Hisoka in the room towards the hall were still awake.

 

He heard Hisoka whisper “Illumi? Did you hear that? I think I heard a door creak.” whereas Illumi groaned “No, and I don’t care. I just want to sleep.”

 

The tone of Hisoka’s voice was enough for Killua to tell that he was up to mischief and Illumi would be the victim once again.

 

“Illumi… did you just touch my leg?”

 

“No, I didn’t. Shut up and let me sleep.”

 

“Must’ve been my imagination…” Hisoka said.

 

After a while Hisoka spoke again, this time he sounded really concerned. “Illumi, I’m serious, I felt something touch my leg again.”

 

Killua heard Illumi moving around in the bed, likely turning around to Hisoka.

 

“Probably a spider, now be quiet…”

 

“No, it wasn’t a spider... It felt like cold fingers running over my skin.” Hisoka said with an eerie voice, before he shouted “Just like these!”

 

Killua heard Illumi yell “Ah, Hisoka, what the hell! Stop touching me, Ah-…I hate you!” and Hisoka laughing, followed by a thud – likely Hisoka who had been thrown out of the bed by Illumi.

 

Gon laughed quietly, while Killua snorted with laughter. Illumi really didn’t seem to like horror movies and was easily startled afterwards, but Hisoka really had to learn when to quit.

 

Finally everything was quiet again and before Killua got the chance to tell Gon goodnight, he could already hear him snoring softly.

 

He smiled and closed his eyes, snuggling up against his pillow. “Sleep well, Gon…” he said and yawned, before he finally fell asleep.


	8. By the beach part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day by the beach...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was especially tough for me to write, since I'm so far ahead with my thoughts and ideas that I'm already planning a sequel to this fic - once it is finished of course. That being said, it was a little difficult to write this chapter, but I hope it turned out good.
> 
> The future chapters will be longer again and hopefully they will be easier to write for me as well.
> 
> Please enjoy.  
> (And a happy - late - new year to everyone!)

 

“Killua?”

Someone poked his cheek.

Killua pulled the covers up to his forehead and groaned. He didn’t want to wake up just yet. His shoulders hurt and his nose was clogged, likely thanks to the AC that had been running all night. His throat felt dry and the feeling was overall one he did not want to wake up with.

But Gon kept poking him, somehow his fingers felt much warmer than Killua’s warm body.

“Killua, I’m hungry.”

Killua rubbed his eyes and turned his head. “Then treat yourself…you don’t have to wait for me.” His voice sounded somewhat husky and his throat felt sore and hurt while talking. Hopefully it would go away after he got up.

Gon made a pout. “I would have, but I’m too afraid to just go to your kitchen and get stuff from the fridge and cupboards… it just didn’t feel right.”

“You don’t have to ask Gon, really. Make yourself at home. You know my house is your house.” Killua said. Gon was too polite when it came to staying at other peoples’ home. On second thought he was quite hungry himself.  
“I’ll come downstairs with you, maybe breakfast is ready by now.”

Gon nodded cheerfully. “Sweet!”

When they came downstairs breakfast was not ready yet, the table was empty and the kitchen was empty. Killua looked around curiously and noticed the TV running in the living room while two people were talking.

He peeked into the living room where Illumi and Hisoka sat on the couch and seemed to be having a conversation.

Hisoka was wearing only his boxers and a t-shirt that seemed to belong to Illumi, while Illumi himself was wrapped in a thin blanket and attentively following the show on TV.

Furthermore he seemed really upset with the extremely made up woman on the screen that kept talking about how her daughter successfully won many beauty pageants and would become famous one day.

Illumi furrowed. “Look at that woman, putting her poor child in a dresses and swimwear that are absolutely inappropriate for her age and making her dance in front of people. That’s just disgusting, she’s like 7. Did you see all these creepy men sitting in the audience? That’s just wrong.”

“Illumi, your brother is standing right next you.” Hisoka noted.

Illumi’s eyes widened and he turned around to Killua. “Oh, uhm… Good Morning, Killu. I didn’t hear you, sorry.”

Killua waved it off. “It’s no problem...”He meant to say something else, but his throat began to itch terribly and he had to cough for about a minute until he had tears in his eyes.

“My, Killu… that sounds awful. Did you catch a cold?” his brother asked with slight concern in his voice.

“Must have been the air conditioner. It has been running all night…Plus, when I woke up during last night, my blanket was almost always gone.” Killua said and glanced over to Gon, who rubbed his neck.

“I’m really sorry that I stole your blanket…” Gon laughed awkwardly and rubbed his neck. “I’m really sorry…”

“It’s not your fault Gon. I should have turned down the air conditioning before I went to bed.” Illumi said. “Killua, you should take the medicine in the medical kit that hangs in the bath, right next to the mirror. I think it’s the one with a green silhouette in the shape of a human head on it.” Illumi suggested.

“Alright, I’ll go get it after breakfast.” It would be a shame if Killua had to spend the following days with being sick. He had no intention to stay in bed all day when he could have fun at the beach. That medicine better worked.

“Breakfast?” Illumi asked and looked back at the TV. “I knew there was something I forgot.”

Gon’s eyes widened in surprise. “Illumi, how can you forget to eat? Breakfast is the reason I get up in the morning!”

Hisoka chuckled and glanced over to Illumi. “You would forget your own head if it wasn’t screwed on. We really need to work on that.”

Illumi pouted slightly and threw back a lock of his hair. “I’ll admit my memory is not the best, alright? No need to tease me about it.”

“But there is nothing that is more fun than teasing you.” Hisoka murmured and grinned playfully.

“And it gets quite annoying after some time, so please refrain from doing it. At least until I have eaten something.” Illumi said and rose to his feet, the blanket still wrapped around him and made his way to the kitchen.

“Isn’t that blanket a bit warm?” Hisoka asked as he looked after Illumi.

“No, and I would be too cold without it.”

“My, still so sensitive to cold. Outside you die from the heat, but with the air conditioner running it’s too cold?” Hisoka asked, but was ignored. He sighed and got up as well to follow Illumi into the kitchen.

Killua felt his stomach rumble and blushed, hoping Gon had not heard it.  
“I’m really hungry… we should go to the kitchen as well.”

Soon after they had finished breakfast, Kurapika appeared in the kitchen as well. His blonde hair was still somewhat messy and he looked overall really tired.

“Uh…” He took a seat at the table and rested his head in his hands. “Morning everyone…”

Gon smiled brightly. “Good morning, Kurapika! Did you sleep well? Do you already know what we’re going to do later? Are you hungry?”

Kurapika seemed overwhelmed by all these questions, until Killua asked “Where is Leorio?”

“He’s in the bathroom, taking a shower…” he answered and mumbled “If only I had gotten there first, I wanted to shower as well.”

Illumi who was currently pushing Hisoka away from him – the man seemed really touchy today – turned his head to the blonde. “You can use the other bathroom downstairs, if you’d like. I doubt my grandparents would have a problem with you using their shower.”

Kurapika’s mood seemed to lighten up. “Really? Thank you, then I’m off.” He said and with that, he left.

Gon made a pout. “He didn’t even answer my question.”

Killua laughed and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Not everyone can be as much of a morning person as you are, Gon.”

Hisoka, not exactly happy that Illumi had shoved him away earlier, played around with the wrapping paper of his gum and muttered “No one could be as much of a morning person. It’s a mystery to me how you manage to be this cheerful once you’re awake.”

“You used to be like that too once.” Illumi noted and took a sip from his tea.

“Yeah… but back then I had more things to look forward to.” Hisoka said and looked out of the window, almost too dramatically and Killua noticed his brother rolling his eyes.

Suddenly he realized Gon had been smiling at him for quite a while. He smiled back at him and tilted his head. “Everything alright?”

Gon grinned. “Of course! As long as I can be with you, everything is fine.”

Killua felt his face turning red. He noticed Illumi biting his lips to hide his grin, and felt his blood pumping through his head. “That- … That’s not funny!”

His brother turned his head to the window to look outside, still biting his lips. “No, but it’s cute.”

Killua emptied his glass of juice with a frown, while Gon was playing around with the small crumbs of toast on his plate.

“Today I want to do something fun.” He said out of nowhere.

Hisoka smirked at Illumi. “I want to do something fun too.”

Illumi’s eyes widened and he gave the man a warning look. “You had your fun for today already…” he replied, while Hisoka’s smirk only grew wider.

“You won’t be saying that tonight~” he murmured, but gasped when Illumi kicked him under the table.

“One more word…” Illumi spoke in a threatening tone as he grabbed his fork, “One more word, and you can decide where I’ll stick this.”

Hisoka flinched and looked away. “My, always so overly sensitive.”

Killua could understand his brother completely, Hisoka needed to tone whatever one was supposed to call such behavior down a bit. And speaking of a bit was an understatement.

Thankfully Gon had no idea what Hisoka had meant with his comment and gave both Illumi and the man a confused look.

Illumi turned his attention back to Gon. “Hm… you want to do something fun then, yes? I take relaxing on the beach is not what you mean by fun.”

Gon shook his head. “I like relaxing on the beach, but I want to do something exciting!”

“Exciting you say, huh?” Illumi made a pause, he seemed to really think of something Killua and Gon could do.

Killua didn’t remember that much about the place around the beach house, but there was no need to, since Illumi came up with a good idea already.  


“You could all go to the amusement park on the pier, if that’s what you mean by fun.”

Gon’s eyes lit up and he smiled brightly. “Ah yes, I had almost forgotten about it! The amusement park on the pier is the ’Heaven’s Park’, right?” Swinging his legs under his chair, he declared “Then we’ll go to the pier today! Now we just have to tell Leorio and Kurapika!”

Hisoka glanced over to Illumi again.  
“Are we not going to the theme park?”

Illumi leaned back and laughed. “Ha! No way I’ll run around in such heat, the only thing I’ll do today is sunbathing at the beach. …I really need to get a tan, at least a bit.”

“Sunbathing it is then… with our shorts or without-“He gasped for breath as he was kicked by Illumi again. It must have been a lot harder this time, since he gritted his teeth with a pained expression.

“Ah-…Damn it, Illumi! You’re always so violent.” he groaned.

“It was well deserved.” Illumi replied with a calm expression. “Bite your tongue the next time you feel the urge to say inappropriate things around my brother and Gon.”

“I get it, I get it… Just never do that again.”

While Illumi continued his talk with Hisoka, Gon grabbed Killua’s hand. “Come on, let’s pack our bags and tell Kurapika and Leorio!”

“Sure, just let me take the medicine first.”

 

* * *

 

Killua had never expected the trip to the amusement park to be this good, but he was proven wrong. Amusement parks were fun – and they were even better with Gon, Kurapika and Leorio.

After they had tried out every single ride and other attractions, they decided to take a break to eat something.

Gon proudly placed the giant plushed dolphin he had won earlier next to him, after he had sat down on the bench. Killua took a seat next to Gon, while Leorio and Kurapika sat down on the other side of the table.

Killua took a glance at the clock on the wall and was surprised that it was late afternoon already. Time had passed a lot more quickly than he had assumed. On top of that he was feeling much better than earlier already. That medicine worked wonders.

A waitress placed the ordered drinks on the table and gave Killua a bright smile. The young woman must have been around his brother’s age. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle when she began to speak.

“A beautiful afternoon to you, Killua. It’s been so long since you’ve been here! Are you here with your entire family?” she asked with a gentle voice.

Once again Killua found himself in the awkward situation of not knowing who exactly was talking to him and how he even knew them. Perhaps the woman lived somewhere in the neighborhood in which the Zoldyck’s beach house stood.

“Uh… I’m here with some friends.” He replied quickly.

“Ah…” That answer seemed to disappoint her slightly. “How… how is your brother doing? Illumi, I mean.” She asked with a soft blush on her cheeks.

 _Not again_. Killua thought and sighed silently. How many people were out there that were interested in his brother. Being the younger brother of someone so popular was slowly developing into a real pain.

“He’s here with…a friend. Someone really close, you know.” It was better for her not to get her hopes up.

The waitress frowned. “I see.” She wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased. “If that’s what makes him happy. At least she can’t be prettier than I am. Give him my regards and tell him that he has no idea what he’s missing out on!” She turned on her heels and left.

Killua groaned and let his head drop into his hands.

Leorio had been looking after the waitress until she had disappeared in the kitchen. “What a pretty lady…”

Kurapika gave Leorio a questioning look, then turned to Killua. “What was that?”

“I have no idea.” Killua sighed and ran his fingers through his hair to push it back into place.

A soft laughter escaped Kurapika’s lips and he had to place his hand. “I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath. “It’s not even that funny, but I couldn’t help myself. Your brother really shouldn’t come here, unless he wants sharp pink nails in his face.”

“Tell me about it.” Killua groaned.

Leorio glanced over to him curiously. “You sound like this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

“It isn’t. I have no idea what Illumi is doing to these women, but they all seem to be head over heels in love with him.” Killua replied, his head still on the table.

Gon laughed slightly and rubbed his neck. “Killua, I think your brother has no idea what impact he has on certain people. He didn’t even remember the lady that worked at the pool.”

“Hm. That’s true.” Killua straightened up again in his seat. “He doesn’t seem like the heartbreaker-kind of person.”

Leorio frowned slightly. “He better not be, it’s unforgivable to hurt such a lovely woman.”

Kurapika gave him a judging side-glance. “Don’t tell me you actually liked her that much. She seemed like quite the unpleasant person, getting so angry at someone who likely has no idea she even exists.”

Gon nodded in agreement. “True.”

Killua shrugged.

It was sometimes hard for him to understand his brother’s personality here, without all the earlier memories ranging from his childhood until the day before he woke up in this world. Illumi didn’t seem like the most social person, although he had no problem talking to other people – in fact he must have been one of the rather popular kids back then.

Killua could partly understand that, his brother didn’t look bad after all and seemed like a decent person. But after knowing him even for just a few weeks, there was something he didn’t talk about, an inner conflict with himself or a conflict with his parents – whatever it was, it was something he still had to deal with until today. Being friends with a gang of delinquents sure had not been helpful in this situation.

It concerned Killua slightly, but he felt in no position to get involved in his brother’s personal problems. As long as Illumi was doing fine at this point, it wasn’t his business anyway.

“Killua?”

Killua had not even noticed that the food had been brought to the table already. Gon gave him a slightly concerned look.

“Are you alright? You looked really serious for a moment.” He said gently.

“I’m fine, don’t worry. I’m just really hungry.” He replied with a smile and took bite from his sandwich.

 

* * *

 

 

It was already dark when they walked back along the beach. The flashing colorful lights from the amusement park on the pier mixed with the dim lanterns that stood at the promenade and lit up the beach in a beautiful spectrum.

It was almost romantic to walk along the beach at night, Gon’s hand gently touching his own as they walked.

Killua really wanted to take Gon’s hand and hold it, but Leorio and Kurapika were walking right behind them, and he felt too embarrassed to show affection in front of other people – at least for now. His feelings for Gon were still overwhelming and he didn’t know how to deal with them yet.

Kurapika and Leorio were talking quietly, but between Gon and Killua was a pleasant silence. There was nothing to be said and nothing needed to be said. It was nice to just be able to keep silent and enjoy the fresh breeze coming from the ocean.

The silence however was gone once they entered the house. Killua heard his mother’s voice from the hallway already and although the voice seemed to come from a speaker, her voice was as shrill as ever. Hearing her still shook him to the core sometimes, since he had nothing good to connect to the sound of it.

“Illumi, I can’t believe you let Killua walk around alone at this hour!” the voice echoed through the hallway when Killua peeked into the living room.

Illumi who sat in front of the computer screen – he looked as if he was about to throw it out of the window – groaned.

“For the last time, he is not alone and I don’t see why I should tag along with him each time he’s going somewhere different. I’m not going to stalk my brother just that you’re at peace.”

It was always soothing to hear that his brother respected him and his privacy – as much that was possible with their mother always worrying about him.

He saw his mother furrow on the screen and she began to scold Illumi again, who didn’t seem to care at all at this point.

Killua sighed silently and turned to Gon and the two others. “I’ll go check what my mom wants.”

 “I have my reasons not to let him run around alone, or with his friends for that matter. You should know better than anyone else what can happen when a child runs around unattended at night-“

“He’s not a child, he’s a teenager and - I feel as if I am repeating myself - he is not alone.” Illumi replied with an unexpectedly cold expression.

“I will not drive to the hospital at 2am in my nightgown to see my son who almost killed himself out of his own foolishness again – one time was more than enough!”

Killua decided to step into the room and talk to his mother himself, before Illumi snapped. His brother seemed very close to losing it.

“Mother, I’m home.”

His mother’s tone changed immediately and she replied in a sweet and calm tone “Ah Killu! I’m so relieved my little baby made it home safe. Mommy was really worried about you, you see?”

“Uh…well, there was no need to worry, really.” He said, not sure what his mother expected to hear.

“Killua, please don’t ever be so careless again and stay outside when it is late already. I was really worried-“

Illumi groaned and leaned forward, placing a finger on the off button of the laptop, obviously fed up with their mother.

“Bye mom. Please don’t call again”

“Don’t be rude Illumi, I was just worried and wanted to check if you were alright. Please promise me to take care of Killua.”

Before their mother could continue Illumi shut down the computer. He leaned back against the couch and sighed.

“What a pain in the a- … I mean, how annoying. You have no idea how long I had to listen to her complaining.”

Killua rubbed his neck. “Uhm… Sorry about that. I should have been more careful with the time.”

“Maybe, but I honestly don’t think it’s a crime for you to have fun with your friends, besides I’m sure Kurapika and Leorio are old enough to take care of you and Gon as well.” He began to twist a lock of his hair, this time more violently than he usually used to, perhaps out of stress.

“Dad is always more chill about things like that… he should work less and spend more time with mom instead before she goes crazy worrying about small things…”

Gon peeked into the living room. “We’re already going upstairs, is that okay?”

Killua nodded. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”

After the steps on the stairs fell silent, Killua glanced over to Illumi who appeared to be still ticked off. But there was something Killua had heard that he couldn’t just ignore and he wanted to know badly.

“Illumi?”

“Hm?”

“What did mom mean when she said something about someone being in a hospital almost killing themselves?” he asked carefully.

He saw Illumi side-eyeing him, before letting out a sigh.

“It’s honestly better if you don’t remember it, trust me. It’s a long story and it is also a really stupid one. Besides, we should really go upstairs now. Gon is probably waiting for you and I have an idiot waiting in my room as well.” he replied.

“Yeah…” Killua said quietly. It was a bit annoying that Illumi never really gave him an actual answer to his questions. But on the other hand if it was something he was sensitive about, Killua had no right to poke around in something that had nothing to do with him.

He thought about it even when he was still in bed. While Gon was already asleep, stealing Killua’s blanket again, he gazed up to the ceiling. His mother had seemed so worried, although she knew nothing bad could have happened. But apparently Illumi had somehow managed to make her lose her trust into her children being able to look out for themselves. It had probably something to do with the spiders as well, there could be no good resulting from their friendship.

But there was no point in worrying about that right now. Whatever had happened, it was now in the past. And he was here, next to Gon. – Next to Gon who had just grabbed his hand.

The blanket wasn’t enough apparently.

Killua blushed slightly. It felt nice, being this close to Gon and yet it felt still somewhat unusual. Not in a bad way of course.

He turned over slightly to get a better look. Gon was really sleeping soundly, with a slight smile on his lips.

“I’m glad we get to start all over…” he said and took Gon’s other hand. “Please don’t push me away like you did back home…”he whispered quietly and closed his eyes.

Gon let out a yawn. “I won’t, I love you way too much.”

Killua opened his eyes again and stared at Gon, his face probably deep red from embarrassment. “You- You’re awake?”

“Mhm…” Gon mumbled and began to snore quietly.

“Gon?” Killua whispered, but got no response.

He dug his face into his pillow and groaned. Gon had some nerves, even when he was sleeping he managed to get him flustered.

Killua let out a deep sigh and rolled onto his back and closed his eyes again. This time he finally managed to fall asleep.

 


	9. light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua encounters something that makes him realize that he might needs his powers sooner than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, hey! I'm finally back. I was really busy with finals, preparations for graduation and all that, but now the next chapter is finally finished! I kinda rushed this one, so if you spot any mistakes or errors, please let me know! English is still not my first language, so I might not spot all of my mistakes.
> 
> Secondly, the actual reason this chapter took me so long is that I was working on another fic, which is already finished and will be uploaded on June 1st! As always, it's a HxH AU that focuses on Gon and Killua just as well as Hisoka and Illumi. There will be no Killugon, at least not officially but with some hints, but Hisoillu as main pairing. If you've enjoyed this fic so far, then you might as well enjoy the one I'll post in a two days~
> 
> Thank you for all the support and the comments you've left so far, but also thanks for being patient!  
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter as well!

 

More weeks had passed after the trip to the beach house and summer vacations slowly came to an end. The thought of having to go back to school again was enough of a reason for Killua to feel depressed, but if that meant he would get to spend every day with Gon he would endure it gladly.

If he had to learn all that useless stuff, at least he wouldn’t have to suffer alone.

Today however he was all by himself when he woke up. He had gotten used to the fact that his father was almost always working, but that not even his mother or two younger siblings were around was strange.

All that had been left was the letter he had found on the kitchen table. Apparently his mother decided to take both Kalluto and Alluka shopping with her. Illumi wasn’t home as well, likely trying to fix some things in the apartment with Hisoka.

Killua wondered how Hisoka would be of any help if he had been the one to flood the apartment in the first place, but if his brother kept an eye on him he would probably be fine.

It was weird to think about Illumi not being around the house in the future – he really had grown fond of his brother here after all. Sure, he was still Illumi… somehow. But then again he was completely different – primarily a lot more lovable. Killua was curious already how exactly the apartment his brother and Hisoka shared, would look like.

But now, if no one was around the house, he could very well just spend the day lazing around. He shoved the pillows on the couch to the side and made himself comfortable before he turned on the TV.

 If he had known what was on however, he would not even have bothered picking up the remote.

“ _Keeping up with the Nostrades?”_ He let out a snort. “ ‘ _Keeping up with the Zoldycks’_ would be more interesting… who cares about a spoiled brat and her family?” Killua muttered and zapped through the channels.

There were various cooking shows and some of the hosts seemed somewhat familiar to him. In fact, he was sure he knew the woman with turquoise hair and an outfit that was almost too revealing. While the candidates prepared their meals, the woman observed each of them closely and sometimes yelled at them when they were about to mess up.

“Oh… it’s Menchi.” Killua suddenly remembered her again as one of the candidates was about to cry while she kept yelling and he decided to change the channel again. Good to know she had her own TV show though.

After a while he let out an annoyed groan and dug his face into one of the pillows. “Could there be anything more boring? Why is there nothing on TV today…?”

Perhaps if his standards had been lower, he would have actually found one of the shows entertaining, but he had never really been the type to just watch TV. Besides, all the good shows only aired at night or the late evening.

He could call Gon and ask him if he wanted to do something fun today, but Killua already knew Gon was spending the day with his aunt. He had never imagined a day without any members of his family to be this boring. He could go back to sleep just as well…

That actually seemed like an option, until he remembered that his mother had asked him to water the flowers yesterday. He decided to finally get up from the couch and made his way to the garden. It was not as warm as it had been during the previous weeks, but the cool breeze was nice for a change.

Until now it had never occurred to him how many flowers and plants were in his family’s -  well, mostly his mother’s garden. It was a mystery to him how his mother still found the time to work in the garden when she had to look after his younger siblings, clean the house and wash everyone’s clothes. They probably had more than enough money to hire someone else to do all that, but there was probably nothing that could replace the love and commitment of a mother.

Killua did not even notice the small flocks of light that began to rain down behind him and morphed into a glowing orb of light. He was occupied with digging around in the crate with the gardening tools until suddenly a cold beam of light struck the shed wall right next to him.

“What the-“ He swung around and dropped the watering can when he saw the large ball of light that hovered above the grass. “Great, now I’m going to be killed by a ball lightning.”

As he gazed into the blinding light, memory fragments of the cold beam of light that had brought him here flashed in front of his inner eye. He quickly leaped back when the orb of light shot another beam in his direction. There was no doubt about it, he had seen this figure before.

But if this was truly happening, it could only mean one thing. “ _The barrier must have been broken…”_

Before he could think further, he had to dodge another beam that left a gaping hole in the shed’s wall. The orb began to flicker and seemed to merge into the shape of a human – at least something humanoid.

This had to be a bad joke… of course whatever was after him would attack once he was all by himself. “ _What a coward…”_ Killua thought, but was struck by another beam that had come faster than the previous attacks.

He bit his lips not to scream, but thanks to his body in this world the pain he felt was close to unbearable. The light had burned through his shirt and left a large burning mark on his right arm. Killua felt embarrassed when he felt the tears in his eyes that were about to fall, but he had never realized how terrible pain could be. Back home during his training he had still been too young to remember what exactly it had felt like to burn his skin, but that he had no more such tolerance against any kind of physical pain in this place changed everything.

Another beam struck his leg and this time Killua could not hold back but had to scream. This must be what hell felt like…

If only he could have still used his damn Nen… or still had the skills he had acquired by years of painful training. But now he finally realized that his body here was completely useless.

He was all alone. No one would come to save him. He would not be able to find the power Nanika had spoken off, nor would he be able to stop the demon. Because he would die here already, all by himself, at the hands of this thing that did not even seem to be the demon that was after him.

Killua gritted his teeth. He was unable to get back on his feet, but there was no chance he could escape another attack as well.

“Look at you… who would have thought that after less than a minute one of the feared Zoldycks would be lying at my feet already. What a disgrace you are, so weak and crying like a child too.”

Killua heard the voice loud and clearly, but could not tell where it was coming from. It was not the light person or whatever it was that stood in front of him. No, the voice had roared through the skies, deep and anything but human.

“What are you…?” Killua whispered, barely audible. The tears kept falling and his injuries still hurt, but he received no answer.

The creature in front of him slowly approached him and Killua could feel the static in the air that surrounded him increasing. The next attack would be a lethal one.

The thought of his family finding his burned body was so unsettling to him, his tears kept falling. They truly had loved him and he would leave them behind heartbroken without even really getting to know them. And then there was Gon… Killua did not even want to think about how Gon would feel upon hearing the news that he, Killua, had passed. He didn’t want to die. Not here, not now, and most importantly not like this.

But there was nothing he could do. He was about to die.

“Killua, why didn’t you open the door, I rang the doorbell like four times- “

Killua’s eyes widened when he heard the voice of his brother.

“Killua!”

Maybe he would not die today.

“Illumi!”

Never in his whole life had he been so glad to see his brother. Killua wiped away the tears and could finally see clearly again. He looked directly into the face of his brother who looked far less happy.

“Killua, what is going on?” he asked, but he did not seem to expect an answer as he ran over to Killua. “Did that thing do that to you?”

The creature had backed away when Illumi had entered the scene, as if it was trying to re-evaluate the situation and wait to see what would happen next.

Killua felt another river of tears stream down his face and felt like slapping himself for being so weak in front of his brother, but right now he was unspeakably glad to not be all alone. Although he had no idea how things would continue, he felt relieved that Illumi was with him.

When he almost choked on his own tears, Illumi pulled him into a hug and wiped them away. “Hey, come on… you’re going to be alright.”

Killua was surprised to hear something close to fear in his brother’s voice, but when he looked up to Illumi, he appeared to be rather restrained. Killua felt embarrassed for not being as self-controlled as his brother, but he was the one lying on the grass with both his legs and his arm burned after all.

Still, he bit his lips and nodded.

When the creature inside the glowing light began to move forward, Illumi leapt back with Killua still in his arms. He let him down again and turned his attention to the approaching creature.

“What even is that thing?” Illumi muttered.

Killua finally caught himself when Illumi stepped in front of him.

“Aniki! You don’t know how strong that thing is, you’ll get killed!”

_Don’t let it kill him._ He could not bear the thought of Illumi dying just like that-

“I know my chances of winning against that aren’t exactly high. But if I have to decide whether it’s you or me who takes damage, I’d rather not have you getting injured even more.”

Killua bit his lips. He was no longer in the condition to defend himself at this point. There was nothing but Illumi who stood between him and the light, between Killua and his own inevitable death. If he did not believe in his brother, then he could just as well give up here and now.

The glowing thing dashed forward and reached out for Illumi, but he quickly leapt out of his reach. What he had not expected – neither had Killua – was that the creature’s arm suddenly began to stretch as fast as it had sprinted forward to attack, and grabbed Illumi’s throat.

Before a gasp could escape Killua’s throat, the thing flung his brother into the stone wall around the garden as if it was nothing. He could have sworn what he heard was not only the wall crumbling, but the sound of bones breaking. A shiver ran down his spine before his fear took over.

“No…”

Seeing blood drip from Illumi’s forehead was enough of a confirmation for him. “No… please.”

The light came closer and he heard the voice soar through the sky again. That thing was laughing...

“How heartwarming what lengths your brother is willing to go to protect you. Too bad he’s just a weak pile of flesh.” The voice, which Killua assumed belonged to whoever had brought him into this world, laughed and continued its speech.  
“Back home I would never have dared to lay a finger on your brother. I always admired his Nen, but I had too much respect for him. But as things are much different here, I am disappointed how easy it was to take him out. Once I’m done with you, I’ll put him out of his misery of losing his beloved little brother, so don’t worry.

Killua could not even reply, but crawled backwards to get farther away from the creature in front of him. Something told him he was done for. His entire body was shaking and he could not even move anymore. So this was what mortal fear felt like.

Killua closed his eyes. _“No… I want to keep living. I want to stay… Please let me stay with them.”_

 

He expected one last lethal attack from the glowing thing that probably still stood in front of him. But the attack never came. What he heard however, was a loud noise. This time he could say for sure, it was the sound of bones breaking and flesh getting crushed.

Was that it? _Am I dead?_

 

He heard a body shattering to the ground right next to him. He was definitely alive.

Killua dared to open his eyes again. To his surprise, he saw Illumi standing in front of him with a baseball bat, as he bend over to observe the body of the glowing thing that now lay on the ground. It slowly began to melt and turned to something that appeared to be mud, but it had burned the grass underneath it.

 

“Talk about disgusting…Mom is going to kill me if she sees this.” Illumi muttered, before he noticed Killua who stared at him still somewhat anxiously. “Ah, Killu. Are you feeling alright?”

Killua blinked. “Are _you_ feeling alright? I thought you were… well, at least knocked out.”

“I’m fine, although I can’t believe that guy actually fell for such a cheap trick. I mean, usually you always make sure your opponent is actually unconscious.” Illumi replied.

Killua sighed. He was relieved his brother was not seriously hurt, as he had expected. Who would have thought a good hit was enough to end that light puppet that had belonged to the demon. – If whoever had spoken to him was an actual demon. Killua highly doubted real demons would be that easy to defeat.

The sky above them darkened before Killua heard the voice roaring through the air once more. Perhaps whoever had brought him here was still too weak to materialize, which probably was a good thing. But what followed next was another blow to his confidence.

“Killua, you’ll come to realize that dying today would have been much more pleasant once I have gathered enough energy to inhabit a body again. The next time we meet, things will be different. I suppose I shouldn’t have underestimated your brother. Now that he knows of my existence I’ll have to undo my previous mistake. He won’t remember anything that happened today within a few minutes. Good luck recovering from your wounds, Killua.”

Killua bit his lip. It would have been too good to be true to have his brother on his side in this. But once Illumi would forget about today, telling him again would be no use.

He glanced over to Illumi, who looked at the sky and arched an eyebrow.   
“What’s that guy’s problem…?” he muttered, before he turned to Killua.

“Killua…” he said before he was disrupted by his own thoughts. “I still hope this is all just a weird dream, but if it’s not: What was that guy talking about earlier when he said ‘ _back home’_. I mean, this is your home. What did he mean?”

“Uh…” Killua stuttered and rubbed the back of his neck. He tried to think of a way to explain what had happened, but no matter what he would say, he doubted Illumi would actually believe him.

Illumi bend down slightly to be on eye level with him. “Well, you don’t have to answer. But… you are my brother, right?”

Killua nodded.

“But still, you seem so different.” His brother replied.

Killua sighed and rubbed his neck. Illumi would probably not remember anything of this later anyway. He had to come out with the truth.

After he had explained everything to his brother, how he had gotten here and where he had come from, Illumi looked at him with a blank stare for a while.

“Huh.” He said after a while and straightened up again. “If I had not just seen that glowing thing myself, I would assume you had lost your mind. But as weird as your story sounds, it would explain why you have been acting so odd lately…”

Killua still had doubts whether his brother actually believed him or not, until Illumi looked into his eyes again. “Do you at least like it here? It’s probably pretty boring compared to the place you’re from.”

Killua smiled slightly and shook his head, still not sure if Illumi was just playing along right now, but then replied “It’s different… but I like it here.” _You’re a much better brother than the other Illumi could ever be._ He thought, but kept that too himself.

Illumi laughed slightly. “Well, that’s good I suppose-“ he stopped mid-sentence and took a step back.

“Are you not feeling well?” Killua asked anxiously, while Illumi rubbed his temples. He knew that somehow the demon would erase his brother’s memories about today, but he had no idea how exactly it would occur and what kind of side effects would come with it.

“I’m fine, I just feel a little light-headed…”

Suddenly Illumi lowered his hands again and stared at Killua with a somewhat confused expression.

“Killua, why are we in the garden again?”

 

* * *

 

“I still don’t understand how you got all these injuries today. What did you do?” Illumi asked while he attended Killua’s wounds.

They both had ended up sitting at the dinner table together after Killua had tried to come up with various excuses for the traces left of the incident in the garden. While Illumi had just accepted most of them after he had lost his memories, he still seemed bothered by the burns left on Killua’s arm and legs.

“I told you already, I played around with a lighter and then things happened…” Killua replied once more, whereat Illumi shrugged.

“That sounds like a stupid thing to do… almost too stupid for you. I just hope you won’t do it again. You know what mom will do, once she finds out about this. I bet somehow she’ll find a way to blame me again…”

Killua observed the bandages around his legs once his brother was finished and looked back up to him again. The small wound on Illumi’s forehead would have been barely visible, had it not been for the dried blood.

“Uh… you, don’t have a headache or something like that, right?” he asked carefully.

“Why should I? I’m feeling perfectly fine.”

Killua shrugged and looked out of the window. “Just making sure.” He muttered.

He heard the backdoor creak open and froze for a moment, hoping that the demon would not send another … monster, creature or whatever the glowing thing had been today, after him. But he sighed with relieve when Hisoka walked into the living room.

“My, did someone drop a bottle of acid on the grass? And the wall too, it looks as if someone tried to tear it down… Did I miss anything important?” he asked before he had even taken a seat next to Illumi.

Illumi’s eyes widened with. “What do you mean? Is something wrong with the grass – or the wall?”

Killua bit his lips and waited for Hisoka to reply, but the man was already focused on something else.

“Illumi, your forehead…” He gently touched the wound that Illumi had not even noticed until now, but Illumi slapped Hisoka’s hand away immediately and gritted his teeth.

“Ouch! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I just wanted to look at it. That looks like it’s going to hurt for a while. How did you get it in the first place?” Hisoka asked.

“I’m not sure.” Illumi shrugged.

When Hisoka raised an eyebrow in suspicion, Killua quickly replied “Uh- You see, Illumi hit his head really badly when he came home.”

“I did?” Illumi asked and carefully touched his forehead again. “Huh, weird. I don’t remember hitting my head.”

“That doesn’t sound good. You might even have a concussion if it’s that bad. Want me to drive you to the hospital?” Hisoka offered, but Illumi waved it off.

“No, it’s fine. I didn’t even notice until now.”

While Hisoka tried to convince Illumi to at least get his injuries checked, Killua began to ponder what he could do to figure out more about those powers he had gotten from the gem the other day. They had to be good for something… even if they could not stop the demon itself, finding out more about them was a first step in the right direction.

But where should he begin? He had found the stone in one of those engraved tree stumps in the Kurta village… And suddenly he knew where to start.

He rose from his chair so abruptly, both Illumi and Hisoka turned to him with surprise.

 Killua rubbed his neck and felt a little embarrassed, but explained “Excuse me, I just remembered something important.”

“What could be so important that it makes you jump off your chair like that?” Illumi asked.

 “I have to make a call.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another Cliffhanger!  
> What will Killua do next and will he find any clues that will help him understand his powers? Also will Illumi's head really be okay? He should at least let a professional see it...
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I promise, the next updates won't take that long anymore.
> 
> Feel free to give my newest fic a read too sometime :) It's something different plot- and genre-wise, but if you've enjoyed this story so far, you might as well enjoy the one I'll publish June 1st~


	10. of glowing gems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua finally decides to ask Kurapika what he knows of the glowing gem he found in the Kurta village...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone!   
> I haven't gotten a chance to continue with this fic earlier, so have this chapter as a new years gift. 
> 
> Last year life got into my way so often when it came to my creativity, i wasn't able to actually write anything good. But I never stopped working on the plot of this story and I hope you all will continue reading it as I write it all out.  
> Thank you for all the amazing support I've had so far, it's what makes me want to keep writing.
> 
> I wish you all the best for this year and that you enjoy this chapter of course!
> 
> ****************************************
> 
> Again, english isn't my first language - so if you see any mistakes, please let me know.

“Do we have to walk that fast? Why are you in such a hurry?” Gon asked and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

The sun burned down onto them and they could feel the hot asphalt beneath them through their shoes. The last thing Killua had expected was a heatwave to hit them by the end of this summer, but here they were, running around out in the open.

He sighed and stopped walking to turn around to Gon.

Killua should have known that telling him about his plans to visit Kurapika would result in Gon asking to tag along and he had not been able to talk him out of it.

“It’s your fault that we missed the bus and I won’t wait another hour.” Killua replied and realized he had sounded a lot angrier than he had intended to, but the heat made it hard to not lose ones temper.

Gon let out a sigh and finally caught up with Killua who waited for him a bit farther away on the small walk next to the road.

“I already said I’m sorry... But if it makes you feel better, I’ll do it again. I don’t want you to be mad at me.” He said and sadly looked up to Killua.

“I’m not mad at you.” Killua replied with a pout. “It’s just…” he sighed, “this heat is getting unbearable and we haven’t even walked half of the way to the village.”

“Why didn’t you ask your brother to drive you there in the first place?” Gon asked, but ended up being distracted by two small birds flying above the meadow next to the road.

Killua could not help it to watch while Gon thoughtlessly looked after them, but cleared his throat once the birds had disappeared in the tree tops.

Gon flung around “Ah- I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry… And I would have asked my brother, but today he’s finally moving out – a second time.” Killua replied.

The thought of Illumi not being around any longer was weird, but he would probably get accustomed to it after some time. He needed some space to his oldest brother anyway.

Although he was rather fond of him by now, Killua still had difficulties leaving everything that had happened in the world he came from behind. It would take some more time for him to move on.

Gon’s eyes widened with surprise. “Oh, I didn’t know! Are you sad he’s leaving?”

Killua shrugged. “I’m not really sure.” He nodded towards the path ahead of them. “Come on, we can keep talking while we walk.”

They didn’t continue their conversation however. Mainly because they both had grown tired from the heat of the day. Summer vacation was almost over, but it still felt as if they were in the middle of July. The building of their school better was air-conditioned.

Killua had almost forgotten that Gon was walking next to him, but was quickly reminded. He almost jumped back when Gon suddenly took hold of his hand.

Killua felt a shiver run down his spine and drew back his hand out of reflex.

“Oh- I’m sorry.” Gon seemed surprised, a hint of sadness in his voice. “Do you…” He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. “…do you not want to hold hands, Killua?”

It was far beyond embarrassing for Killua when he noticed his shaking hands. He should have been happy, why the hell did even the slightest amount of body contact with Gon make him so nervous. Something had to be wrong with him.

“Yes! - I mean no, I do want to hold hands…I’m sorry, my hands were just… sweaty.” Killua replied. It wasn’t the best thing he had come up with, leave alone the smoothest. He sighed and murmured under his breath “Why am I so awkward…?”

But Gon didn’t seem to have caught the last part and a bright smile appeared on his lips as he took hold of Killua’s hand a second time.

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Maybe next time I should give you a warning.” He said and laughed.

Killua managed to crack a smile. “Yeah… maybe.”

 

* * *

 

It had taken another 30 minutes for them to arrive at the Kurta village. Kurapika had greeted them with a rather horrified expression.

“Don’t tell me you walked all the way here.”

Their wet clothes and Killua’s conspicuous sunburn were enough of an answer however.

Once they entered the Kurta’s house, Mrs. Kurta threw up her hands in horror as well. “You poor boys! If only you had said something, I would have come to pick you up- let me get you something to drink.”

She disappeared in the hallway and returned with not only a tray of cold drinks, but with dry and clean clothes as well as a lotion for Killua’s sunburn.

“There you go. I’ll leave you be then. Don’t forget to use the lotion Killua, if you don’t do anything the sunburn will end up a lot more painful than it has to be.” She said and left, likely to head to the garden.

Gon looked after her, still amazed that she had found some fitting clothes for them. “Mothers are prepared for anything, huh?” he mumbled and slipped into the clean shirt.

Kurapika laughed gently and asked “You know my mother, did you expect anything less?”

“Huh, not really. If we had went to my place, my father probably would have thrown me into our pond to clean my shirt.” Gon replied and laughed.

“Surely aunt Mito would have some clean clothes lying about, wouldn’t she?” Kurapika asked whereat Gon shrugged.

“Probably. But she’s still on vacation with my grandmother, so now it’s just me and my father. You should see the kitchen… Aunt Mito will kill him when she comes back.” Gon said.

Killua who had tried to apply the lotion, only to find out that this alone was painful, turned his attention back to Gon and Kurapika.

“Did you father stay home with you voluntarily?” he asked. He would have loved to meet Gon’s father in this world already, he seemed a lot less… well, selfish.

“He said it was too hot for another of his adventures, so he gladly stayed home.”

Kurapika hummed lightly. “Hm, well that seems reasonable.” He turned to Killua.

“Killua, you sounded worried the first time you called. You don’t have to act like everything is well, when there is something troubling you.”

Gon tilted his head. “Worried? Did something happen, Killua?”

Killua was not too fond of being the center of attention all of a sudden, but he had carried his thoughts with him long enough. But there was no way to reveal the absolute truth without placing both Kurapika and Gon in danger. Some rough description would have to do for now.

“Uh… well. I had odd dreams for a while and…” Maybe he should not talk about Nanika or the demon with them. – “I dreamed of a glowing gem somewhere in your village, Kurapika.”

“What kind of glow was it? A specific color?” Kurapika asked and left Killua surprised that he just went with what he had told him.

“It was a cold, blueish light.”

Kurapika leaned back in his seat. “Huh, I see. Killua, you never heard one of our elders speak of a gem of that nature, yes?”

Killua shrugged. Nanika had told him some things of the gem after all, but that information had been little help. “I might have heard something about it, but I’m not sure.”

Kurapika began to speak “There is a legend of three glowing gems that the elders of our clan like to tell. They are said to hold powers of ancient times, but our clan doesn’t keep them hidden in a shrine or anything. These gems only appear to someone in need of help or if there is an evil to be defeated. Once their deed is done, they disappear again.”

Gon had been quiet the entire time, but carefully asked “And what can these gems do exactly?”

“That is a good question. I’m not sure if what the legend tells has ever been confirmed, but the three gems all possess different kind of powers. There is said to be a red gem which will grant the one who finds it extreme physical powers, as well as a green one that lets its finder alter time and a blue gem, which would be the one Killua has dreamed of. It’s supposed to grant psychic powers. I’m not sure about what it does exactly.” Kurapika said and looked back at Killua.

Killua bit his lip. “Psychic powers… Do you think looking into someone’s memories or manipulating them would count?”

“I am not sure. But I think it was something like that...” Kurapika stayed quiet for a while, deep in thought, until he began to talk again. “The only thing I recall is that if the situation requires it, the finder of the gem is granted the ability to erase someone’s mind entirely. What a terrifying thing to do… imagine if someone was actually able to do something like that.”

Gon took a sip from his glass and hummed lightly. “Do you know when the last gem was found?”

Kurapika let out a soft laugh. “Although that is as well only a legend, the green gem is said to have been found a long time ago. My grandfather once told me of a girl his own grandfather knew, who found the gem and used it to find her mother who had disappeared shortly after her birth.”

“Must have been awful no not have one of her parents around while growing up…” Gon murmured.

Killua raised his eyebrows and took a sip from his own glass. At least that was something Gon didn’t have to worry about here.

“But Killua, is that really all there is to it? No one outside the Kurta clan knows of that legend, and yet you dreamed of one of them… I mean, this could all just be a mere coincidence, but still. If there is anything you need our help with, you just need to tell us and we’ll be there.” Kurapika said and carefully observed Killua.

Killua was well aware that he had to be careful now to not give himself away. He truly wished he could tell Kurapika about everything that had happened, but he felt his chest tightening when he thought about what could happen to Gon or Kurapika if they knew too much.

And so he replied. “If there is anything, I will. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Kurapika didn’t seem pleased with that answer, but he let things be and they changed the topic.

At dusk Gon and Killua decided to head home. Luckily this time they did not miss the bus.

“I can’t believe school starts again next week…” Gon sighed.

Killua shrugged. “Well, everything has to end at some point. I can still feel my brain cells dying from not doing anything… not like that’s a bad thing.” He said and Gon laughed.

“I think I forgot everything we did in math class by now. You really need to help me out once we have school again.” Gon said and grinned awkwardly.

“I’ll give you some extra lessons if you pay me in chocorobos.” Killua replied and stuck out his tongue.

Gon stuck out his bottom lip. “Hmpf. Some boyfriend you are, charging me for your help.” But his mood lit up rather quickly again.  
“You know what, I think I should sleep over at your place. We won’t have much time left after school starts again.”

“Sure, why not.” Killua replied. If he really had to go to school soon, he wanted to spend as much time with Gon as possible.

 

* * *

 

Things around him felt blurry once again until he felt something solid under his feet. There were no noises, just the eerie emptiness and something that appeared to be a pillar far in the distance.

It seemed as if there was no other way to go and Killua tried to approach the pillar which slowly turned out to be something like a stairwell.

“Killua! You’re back?”

He looked around but there was no one to be seen who could have called out to him.

“Up here.” The voice said again and finally he recognized the owner.

Killua gazed up the stairwell and spotted Nanika not too far away from him.

“How do I keep ending up here?” he muttered to himself.

Nanika seemed actually surprised herself and replied “I would like to know that as well. But now you’re here and it does not matter which way you came. I’m happy you weren’t hurt when you first encountered that demon… You can be glad it doesn’t have a physical body yet. It is still weakened now that it failed to draw your life energy.”

Killua sighed. “I still have no idea how I am supposed to defeat an actual demon with just the ability to mess with people’s minds. Does that thing’s brain even work the way our does?” _Perhaps I should have tried to use those powers to have Illumi regain his memories of that incident._

“You can’t!” Nanika walked down the rest of the stairs. “It is too dangerous to open a person’s memory vault. You never know what you might bring back… some things are better left forgotten.”

“What do you mean?” Killua asked.

“Maybe one day you will know. But do not worry too much. You can trust the people close to you in this world… but the evil left in it needs to be defeated. No, it needs to be erased forever.” Nanika made a pause and looked at Killua. He could feel the worry she tried to hide.

“It took a while to understand, but now I know of the demon’s intentions. Killua, you were only able to enter this world because the veil between the universes became thinner for a short time during you encounter with the demon. The veil is what keeps all worlds connected, yet it separates them as it is meant to do. But the demon wishes to regain the powers it has gathered in the world of Nen. It wants to tear down the veil completely.”

“And… that is not good?” Killua asked.

Nanika shook her head.

“It would alter all existing worlds. They would bleed into each other, forcefully become one single universe. Every living being that exists within multiple universes would have their mind and body merge together.” She spoke carefully, great uncertainty in her voice.

“How can a person be merged?”

“Imagine standing in front of a mirror with a distorted reflection of yourself. If that reflection was to become one with your actual self it would not be Killua anymore. Now imagine if several distorted reflections would merge into one – everyone would become an abomination.” Nanika said and sighed.   
“But it will take some time until the demon gains enough power. A great amount of energy would be required for such undertaking, you should be able to stop this before that energy has been gathered.”

Killua felt the floor beneath him crumbling.

“Before you wake up, please remember to not try and have your brother regain his memories. The right time will come. I’ll try to look out for you from where I currently am… don’t lose time. And don’t lose hope.”

Before Killua got the chance to answer, things grew dark before his eyes and suddenly he fell into darkness.

 

* * *

 

“Wait!”

Killua heard a loud thump on the floor next to his bed. His hands still shaking, he slowly looked over the edge of the mattress.

“Geez, Killua… you scared me!”

Right next to his bed was Gon, rubbing his back and groaning in pain.

“What were you doing inside my bed?” Killua asked, more confused than anything.

Gon smiled, and although it was dark in the room, Killua could tell he was blushing. “Well, I didn’t sleep well and you look kind of cute when you’re sleeping. So… I just had to poke your cheek and probably ended up falling asleep next to you.”

Killua felt embarrassed. “You have some nerve!” he said, pouting at Gon.

“I’m not the one to scream out of nowhere. What happened? Did you have a nightmare?” Gon asked and climbed back into Killua’s bed without asking.

Killua let out a sigh. “I had… an odd dream.”

Gon tilted his head. “Oh, you did? Come on, tell me what happened.”

Killua gazed out of the window. The moon was hidden by large clouds, but here and there were some stars to be seen. “Hm… Gon, what would you think if there was another world in which we would exist as well, but in a different way.”

“You mean… the two of us but as for example fishes?” Gon asked and Killua threw a pillow in his face.

“Not like that, I meant as humans. And we would both be friends, but then went different ways. I mean, a world where my family consists of sociopaths, especially my oldest brother.” Killua said quietly.

“Did you dream of such a world?” Gon asked.

Killua shrugged. “Who knows… but what would you think of it?”

“Huh… sounds rather sad to me. I think I prefer things the way they are right now. Besides, I can’t even imagine your family being that awful. I mean… some years ago, Illumi got better again because he would spent much more time with you and your other siblings again, right?” Gon said quietly and looked away.   
“I mean, I don’t remember much, but I always felt that he cared even more for you after that so… Uh. Well, I think things are good the way they are.  …You wouldn’t want to live in such a bad place, right?”

Killua was confused and felt the urge to ask what Gon was talking about exactly, but something inside him told him that it was better to be quiet for now. Perhaps it was best to hear that from someone else than Gon. He seemed to be rather uncomfortable to speak of whatever had happened to Illumi.

“Killua? You wouldn’t want to live there, right?” Gon asked again.

Killua snapped out of his thoughts. “Huh? Oh, I mean… I’m not sure. I think… I like it better here.”

Gon yawned and laid back down. “Well, that’s good. I don’t want you to leave me… ever…” he muttered and before Killua could reply, he seemed to have fallen asleep again.

“Gon?” Killua asked carefully, but all he got was a groan and Gon pulling his blanket over half his head.

Killua sighed. “You really have some nerve…” he laid back down again as well and turned to Gon. “I don’t want you to leave me as well…” he whispered, but was left with no reply.

He tried to position himself again so he could fall asleep. But he could not find a comfortable position. His thoughts kept returning to what he had dreamed of. To stop a demon that tried to end multiple worlds at once – and to stop that all by himself.

_“This is insane.”_


End file.
